Federal Prison Furlough Requests — Time out of prison with your family!

A furlough is not a right but a privilege granted a federal prison inmate under prescribed conditions. It is not a reward for good behavior, or a means to shorten a criminal sentence. A furlough is defined as “an authorized absence from a federal prison by an inmate who is not under escort of a staff member, U.S. Marshal, or state or federal agents”. Actually it is a way for an inmate to leave prison and visit his family and friends. Would you like to?  There are four main types of furloughs.  The most common type of furlough is the Social Furlough. A Social Furlough can either be a Day Furlough or an Overnight Furlough. The Day Furlough is a furlough within the geographic limits of the commuting area of the federal prison (approximately a 100-mile radius), which lasts 16 hours or less and ends before midnight. The second type of social furlough is an Overnight Furlough and can last up to seven (7) days. Normally, Overnight Furloughs are classified as three day furloughs or five to seven day furloughs. In both cases the inmate may be picked up by his family and travel unescorted to his home. This furlough is a legalized way to visit your family for up to 7 days while you are in prison. Find out how. He may remain at his home with his family the length of his furlough stay.

Eligibility for Federal Prison Furlough

Eligibility for a Day Furlough requires that the inmate be at his current federal prison for one-hundred and eighty (180) days with clear conduct and he is within twenty-four (24) months of his anticipated release date. Eligibility for an Overnight Furlough requires that the inmate be at his current federal prison for one-hundred and eighty (180) days with clear conduct and he is within eighteen (18) months of his anticipated release date. An inmate may receive more than one furlough but the furloughs must be at least ninety (90) days apart. Inmates must also have minimum security and community custody to be eligible for a furlough. This means the inmate must be at a Federal Prison Camp.

Inmates in a minimum security Federal Prison Camp may be eligible for up to three social furloughs during their period of incarceration. Furloughs are like a “vacation” or “time off” when the inmate may actually leave prison with his family, on his own, unescorted, and stay with his family for up to seven (7) days.  When an inmate has a one day furlough, the inmate is picked up by a family member in the morning and has to report back, unescorted, later that same night. The three day furlough allows the inmate to spend two nights and three days with his/her family. The last social furlough is a four-six night/five-seven day furlough. Here the inmate will leave federal prison with a family member and does not have to report back for five-seven full days. Furloughs can be used for special family events such as weddings, graduations, and birthdays. They can also be used for not so pleasant family occurrences such as funerals, deaths, and illnesses. Jail Time Consulting is a specialist in preparing applications for federal prison furloughs and will explain, inform, educate, and prepare the proper supporting documentation and application for our clients. Jail Time Consulting is an expert in the BOP’s social furlough policy, the eligibility requirements, custody and security requirements, and reasons for furlough justification, furlough conditions, required documentation, and inmate return policy.

Preparing for a Federal Prison Furlough

Jail Time Consulting prepares our clients for these furloughs and provides all the necessary supporting documentation, exhibits, forms, itineraries, paperwork, and application to the BOP. We start with our clients completing a JTC Furlough Questionnaire©. This information helps us position the inmate for eligibility and then we explain all the rules, regulations, forms, and proper inmate behavior in order to increase his/her chances for furlough eligibility. An inmate must be in a minimum security Federal Prison Camp to be eligible for any of these unescorted furloughs. 

Jail Time Consulting also provides information and assistance in medical furloughs, transfer furloughs, and both escorted and unescorted furloughs. We have all the required forms including the JTC Furlough Questionnaire© as well as the Furlough Application. We also have the Inmate’s Conditions of Furlough which lists all the conditions and stipulations with which the inmate agrees to comply. Jail Time Consulting can provide information and/or assistance to all federal prison inmates with their furlough requests.