BOP Facility Designation-where you will go!

There are many factors to consider when a designation is made for both a self-surrendering defendant and a defendant taken into custody by the United States Marshals Service. Two such factors are security level and custody level. Federal prisons are classified into one of five security levels. They are minimum, low, medium, high, and Administrative. It is in the best interest of the defendant to be placed in the lowest security level federal prison possible, that is minimum security. The ideal placement would be a minimum security Federal Prison Camp. Minimum Security Federal Prison Camps (FPCs) have dormitory type housing, a relatively low staff-to-inmate ratio, and limited or no perimeter fencing. Inmates have much more freedom of movement than in the other security level federal prisons. Federal Prison Camps are basically work oriented and many are located adjacent to larger federal prisons or on military bases and help serve the labor needs of the larger institution or base. The security level of a federal prison is based on the level of security and staff supervision that each federal prison is able to provide. Factors which determine which federal prison a defendant is initially designated to include the level of security and supervision the inmate requires, the location of the inmate’s family, the level of overcrowding in a specific federal prison, the defendant’s program needs, the defendant’s medical needs, judicial recommendations, Management Variables (MGTV), Public Safety Factors (PSF), and if the defendant has any Central Inmate Monitoring (CIM) issues.

Due to current prison overcrowding and the large number of white-collar defendants being incarcerated, white-collar defendants are finding it more and more difficult to be designated close to their families and to be designated to a lower security federal prison. More and more white-collar defendants are being designated to geographically removed federal prisons far from their families. Many white-collar defendants are also being designated to a higher security level federal prison. The days of a slap on the wrist, probation, and/or home confinement are over for white-collar defendants. Prison overcrowding, clogged courts, more vigorous prosecution of white-collar crimes, and longer sentences all combine for more and more unfavorable designations.

This is where Jail Time Consulting can help. Jail Time Consulting provides assistance in choosing the appropriate federal prison for our clients. We provide a 21-point Designation Spreadsheet© for all our clients. This Designation Spreadsheet© compares all the same security level facilities in our client’s region. This allows the defendant and his family to look over the facilities and compare visiting times, e-mail capability, exercise facilities, law and regular library considerations, distance from his home, work opportunities, type of housing, i.e., cells, cubicles, or dormitories, and many more. All factors are considered and we discuss the positive and negative aspects of each facility with the defendant and his family including placement in a facility close to the defendant’s family. Even though the Bureau of Prisons attempts to place a new inmate in a federal prison of the appropriate security level within 500 miles of the inmate’s home and family, this is happening less and less frequently. Prison overcrowding, longer sentences, more aggressive prosecution, and more and more white collar inmates being sentenced causes higher security designations and placement outside the 500 mile radius. Jail Time Consulting, by laying pre-sentencing groundwork and providing supporting documentation to the people making the designation decisions, helps position the inmate for a favorable placement near his family in a safe federal prison offering the programs, medical considerations, and cultural diversity considerations that the inmate requires. Just hoping for a good designation won’t work. A good federal prison designation is the result of hours and hours of hard work laying a solid foundation well before your sentencing date.

Jail Time Consulting lays a secure foundation well in advance of the sentencing date to maximize the opportunity for proper facility designation. We utilize BOP programs, judicial recommendations, BOP statistics on federal prison population, as well as Designation Capacity and Rated Capacity statistics to ensure a good federal prison designation for our clients. All factors are presented to our clients so, together; we can choose the proper facility.