When and how to contact judges, probation, and the BOP—plus what to send

Key themes

• Right message, right time. Judges and probation officers pay attention, but too-early asks (e.g., compassionate release within days of arrival) hurt credibility.
  
• Work beats claims. A steady record—life story, program notes, journals, and a visible profile—carries more weight than promises.
  
• Probation is the priority audience. Case managers rotate and halfway houses have limited sway; probation officers influence jobs, passes, and early termination.
  
• Prosecutors rarely support post-sentence requests. Expect opposition and focus effort on judges, probation, and your BOP file.
  
• Own the communication. Don’t outsource your voice to a lawyer for prison-phase updates; send brief, verifiable proof yourself.
  

Core lessons you can use

• Don’t rush the court.
  
  • If your sentence is ≤ 2 years, consider one well-crafted update from custody, then save the next contact for early-termination.
    
  • If you’ll serve several years, schedule periodic, non-asking updates so the judge doesn’t hear from you only when you want relief.
    
• Build and show a record.
  
  • Create a life story and a plan for custody (programs, coursework, service, restitution steps).
    
  • Keep a public profile (e.g., PrisonProfessors.org) that tracks classes, reflections, and outcomes. Link to it when you update stakeholders.
    
• Write probation on a cadence.
  
  • During custody: every 6 months.
    
  • Within a year of release: every 3–4 months.
    
  • Keep it tight: “Three months ago I said I’d do X; here is the proof I did X.”
    
• Put proof in the central file.
  
  • Submit plans, completions, certificates, and work product to your case manager even if they won’t read it; others will check the file later.
    
• Be your own messenger.
  
  • Lawyers negotiate pleas and argue law; you should report your progress. A lawyer-written release request right after surrender can feel hollow and premature.
    
• Avoid self-inflicted setbacks.
  
  • Do not contact co-defendants unless approved; it can cost you cooperation credit.
    
  • Do not sign a plea without reviewing discovery; insist on an in-person or scheduled review with counsel and memorialize requests by email.
    

What to send (and when)

• Early custody (first 60–90 days):
  
  • One short letter to the judge: sentencing reminder + what you’ve started (programs, reading, service) + where progress can be verified (profile link). Do not ask for relief.
    
  • First note to probation: one page, bullet list of actions started and dates.
    
• Ongoing (every 3–6 months):
  
  • Update to probation with a three-part format: Plan → Action → Proof (screenshots, certificates, published posts, class rosters).
    
  • Add new items to the central file and your profile the same week you complete them.
    
• Approaching release or supervision requests:
  
  • Send a pattern of completed commitments, not a one-off burst. Reference prior letters: “In March I set A; in June I completed A; in September I maintained A while starting B.”
    

Quotable moments

• “The first time a judge hears from you should not be when you want something.”
  
• “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” — quoted in the webinar from Carl Jung.
  
• “Don’t call—memorialize it in writing.” (on pushing counsel to review discovery and to contact probation when documents are missing)
  
• “We’re not writing for a case manager’s evening reading; we’re building the record.”
  

Plain-English Recap

This session centers on timing, audience, and proof. Send measured updates, not pleas, and let your work do the talking. Prioritize probation with a steady cadence of short, verifiable notes. Keep a public profile and feed it with journals, class summaries, and certificates, then place the same items in your central file. Expect prosecutors to oppose most post-sentence asks; put your energy into judges and probation. Don’t contact co-defendants, and don’t sign anything without seeing discovery—push for a visit and document every step. The through-line is simple: say what you’ll do, do it, and show it—over time.

Justin Paperny