People who surrender to federal prison need insight into how the system operates. The more they understand, the better prepared they become to advocate for themselves. We received the following letter from a person who serves an 18-month sentence in a federal prison camp. We’d like to offer insight and commentary with hopes that it will help him and others.

Release Dates

Today I had a discussion with my case manager. Our conversation involved two issues:

• I needed assistance with filing a BP-10. The BP-10 is an intermediate stage of the administrative remedy process. To learn more about the administrative remedy process, see this link.

I needed help filing the BP-10, I told him. The case manager replied, “You just mail it.”

As the link above shows, it’s important to keep three copies of each administrative remedy form. Those forms include the BP-8, BP-9, the BP-10, and the BP-11. The copies are necessary for the anticipated appeals. The copies must also include the attachments.

When I told the case manager that I needed copies, the case manager agreed to make the copies.

In prison, case managers are not obligated to provide copies. Some of the case managers will provide copies, some of the case managers will not. Either way, if a person chooses to file an administrative remedy, the person must go through the work of making copies—even if he must write by hand.

• I asked the case manager to review me for the Second Chance Act.

The case manager told me that administrators had already reviewed me for the Second Chance Act. I asked who reviewed me and when. The case manager told me that Grand Prairie reviewed me. Administrators in Grand Prairie reviewed any person who served a sentence of 18 months or less. The case manager said that my computation sheet showed a home confinement eligibility date of May 27, 2023.

I asked the case manager why the unit team would only recommend 90 to 120 days of halfway house, or in the alternative, 56 days of home confinement. The case manager told me that Grand Prairie made that decision.

I know for a fact that the case manager is the one who sends the halfway house recommendation and I know this because my case manager told me. 

The case manager will not provide an answer on why the unit team only recommended 120 days of halfway house. 

I also asked about recalculation dates. I wanted to know who I could contact to request a recalculation. In response to my BP-9, the warden said I would be told if there was a recalculation. But I don’t know who will contact me, or who I can contact.

The case manager said “I have no idea how Grand Prairie recalculates sentence computations. It’s like throwing a dart at a dart board.” 

My case manager told me: “you would’ve been better off committing a bigger crime to get a larger sentence to reap the benefits of the First Step Act and the Second Chance Act.” 

I then said to him “well I’d say that as prejudice as it gets” and he replied “Yes it is”. 

The case manager should be advocating for me. Instead, it seems as if the case manager does whatever he has to do to keep me in custody for as long as possible.  I’m just a number that nets the BOP $186 dollars day.

I would also like to know what the next step is that needs to be done by me in order to get my Second Chance Act process in full motion.