Every day owed is a day that can come home
The First Step Act promised up to a year off federal sentences — and the BOP’s math is wrong often enough that checking it is a family duty. We teach you how to audit the credits, work the process, and fight for every day. Pro se. For free. Without a $400-an-hour consultant.
EDUCATION, NOT LEGAL ADVICE · EVERY GUIDE FREE · EVERY PRICE PUBLISHED
The BOP’s time-credit rollout has been wrong for years
Documented computer failures. Release dates that swing without explanation. People held past the day the law said they could go home. Nobody at the Bureau is assigned to double-check your family’s math — so we teach families to do it themselves, with the same statutes, forms, and deadlines the professionals use.
Get Your First Step Act Days Back
The flagship guide: how credits work, how to audit them, and the free escalation path from case manager to federal court.
URGENTCredits Missing or Wrong?
The seven most common BOP miscalculation patterns, the proof each requires, and the 48-hour triage plan.
FREE TOOLFSA Time Credits Calculator
Enter the sentence and programming, get an independent estimate to hold up against the BOP’s numbers.
THE MANIFESTOThe Pro Se Guide
You are allowed to fight this yourselves. What pro se means, what it costs ($0–$5), and how it is done well.
Start Here
The core playbook: credits, release dates, and filing pro se.
How to Check a Federal Release Date — and Make Sure It’s Right
Where to find a federal prisoner’s projected release date, what the date actually includes, and how families verify the BOP’s math is right — step by step, for free.
DECODER — THE NEW BOP DATESConditional Placement Dates: What Those New Lines Actually Mean
What the FTC Conditional Placement Date and SCA Conditional Placement Date on a BOP sentence computation mean, how they are calculated, and what to do when they are missing or stale.
START HERE — FOR FAMILIESThe First Step Act for Family Members
A family-focused guide to the First Step Act: what it promises, how time credits work, and the concrete steps a family on the outside can take to make sure a loved one gets every day they're owed.
URGENT — CREDITS MISSING OR WRONGFirst Step Act Credits Not Applied? Here’s the Playbook
FSA credits missing, frozen, or wrong? The seven most common BOP time-credit errors, how to prove each one, and the free process for forcing a correction — step by step.
THE FLAGSHIP GUIDE — FIRST STEP ACT TIME CREDITSGet Your First Step Act Days Back — Without a Lawyer
Thousands of federal prisoners are owed First Step Act time credits the BOP never applied. Learn how the credits work, how to audit them, and how to fight for every day — pro se, for free.
THE MANIFESTO — PRO SEThe Pro Se Guide: You Are Allowed to Fight This Yourselves
Pro se is a right, not a last resort. The manifesto and manual for federal prisoners and families: what you can lawfully do yourselves, what it costs ($0–$5), and how to do it well.
Time & Credits
Every mechanism that shortens the time inside.
First Step Act Eligibility: Who Can Earn Time Credits
Who qualifies to earn First Step Act time credits, the statutory exclusion list that blocks some offenses, and how to challenge a wrong ineligibility determination — pro se, for free.
TIME & CREDITS — TWO SYSTEMSFirst Step Act Credits vs. Good Conduct Time
Good conduct time and First Step Act time credits are two different sentence reductions that stack. How each works, how they differ, and how they combine to move a release date.
TIME & CREDITS — DRUG OFFENSESFirst Step Act Credits for Drug Offenses
Most federal drug offenses can earn First Step Act time credits — but specific high-level convictions are excluded. How to tell which side of the line a drug case falls on, and how to challenge a wrong call.
TIME & CREDITS — ELIGIBILITYFSA Eligibility: Who Can Earn Credits, Who Can’t, and Who’s Coded Wrong
Who can earn First Step Act time credits and who is excluded under 18 U.S.C. §3632(d)(4)(D) — in plain English, with the steps for challenging a wrongful ineligibility decision.
TIME & CREDITS — GOOD CONDUCT TIMEGood Conduct Time: The 54 Days a Year, Done Right
Federal good conduct time gives up to 54 days per year of the sentence imposed. How it is calculated, how it differs from FSA credits, how it is lost, and how to verify yours is right.
TIME & CREDITS — PRERELEASE CUSTODYHalfway House Placement: How the Decision Really Gets Made
How federal halfway house (RRC) placement is decided, how much time is possible under the Second Chance Act and FSA credits, why referrals stall, and how families push effectively.
TIME & CREDITS — HOME CONFINEMENTHome Confinement: Finishing a Federal Sentence at Home
How federal home confinement works: the 6-month/10% rule, FSA prerelease credits, the elderly offender pilot, residence approval, monitoring rules, and how families prepare.
TIME & CREDITS — FIXING THE SCOREChallenging a PATTERN Score: The Step-by-Step Playbook
A wrong PATTERN input can cost months of FSA credits. The step-by-step process for documenting and challenging PATTERN scoring errors — at program reviews, through BP filings, and beyond.
TIME & CREDITS — PATTERN RISK SCOREThe PATTERN Score, Explained: The Number Behind the Credits
The PATTERN risk score decides whether a federal prisoner earns FSA credits at 10 or 15 days and whether credits ever apply. What it measures, when it is assessed, and how to read it.
TIME & CREDITS — PROGRAMMINGPrograms That Earn FSA Credits: What Counts and How to Prove It
Evidence-based recidivism reduction programs and productive activities that earn First Step Act credits — how assignments work, what counts as successful participation, and how to fix unposted credit.
Motions & Remedies
The free procedures — from BP forms to federal court.
The §2241 Petition: Habeas for How a Sentence Is Being Run
How a 28 U.S.C. §2241 habeas petition works: what it challenges, where to file, the $5 fee, exhaustion, the form itself, and what happens after filing — explained for pro se filers and families.
MOTIONS & REMEDIES — §2255The §2255 Motion: Attacking the Conviction or Sentence Itself
The 28 U.S.C. §2255 motion explained: the one-year AEDPA deadline, the four grounds, ineffective assistance claims, second-or-successive rules, and honest guidance on when counsel matters.
MOTIONS & REMEDIES — THE BP LADDERAdministrative Remedies: The BP-8 to BP-11 Ladder, Mastered
The BOP Administrative Remedy Program step by step: BP-8 through BP-11 forms, every deadline, what makes filings win, and why exhaustion is the key to the courthouse.
MOTIONS & REMEDIES — THE LIFECYCLEAfter You File: The Life of a Motion, From Mailroom to Order
What happens after a pro se petition or motion is filed: screening, the government’s answer, replies, magistrate recommendations, orders, and appeals — with the family’s docket-watching playbook.
SENTENCE REDUCTION — FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCESCaregiver Compassionate Release: The Family Circumstances Path Under §1B1.13
When a child’s caregiver dies or a spouse becomes incapacitated, U.S.S.G. §1B1.13(b)(3) makes family circumstances an extraordinary and compelling reason for compassionate release. The complete guide: who qualifies, the evidence that wins, and the motion path.
MOTIONS & REMEDIES — COMPASSIONATE RELEASECompassionate Release: The §3582(c)(1)(A) Motion, Start to Finish
How federal compassionate release works after the First Step Act: the warden request, the 30-day rule, the extraordinary and compelling grounds under USSG §1B1.13, and how motions are built.
MOTIONS & REMEDIES — RETROACTIVITYFirst Step Act Retroactivity (§404)
Section 404 of the First Step Act made the Fair Sentencing Act's crack-cocaine reductions retroactive. Who qualifies for a §404 sentence reduction, how courts decide, and how it differs from the Act's other provisions.
MOTIONS & REMEDIES — DEADLINESThe Deadline Ledger: Every Clock That Can Kill a Claim
Every deadline that kills federal prison claims: BP filing clocks, the §2255 one-year limit, appeal windows, and DHO appeals — with the family calendaring system that protects them all.
MOTIONS & REMEDIES — RULE 35Rule 35 Sentence Reduction
Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 35 explained: how a Rule 35(b) motion rewards post-sentencing cooperation, the 14-day Rule 35(a) correction window, and why only the government can file for substantial assistance.
MOTIONS & REMEDIES — SENTENCE REDUCTIONSSentence Reduction Motions: The Complete Map of Lawful Paths
All the lawful ways a federal sentence gets shorter after sentencing: retroactive guideline amendments under §3582(c)(2), compassionate release, Rule 35, credits, and clemency — compared honestly.
Placement & Daily Life
Where the sentence is served, and how to improve it.
CARES Act Home Confinement: What Happened to It
CARES Act home confinement expanded during the pandemic, then wound down — with the remaining cohort's sentences commuted in December 2024. What it was, why it ended, and the routes that replaced it.
PLACEMENT — LOWERING CUSTODYGetting to Lower Security: The Realistic Path to a Camp
The realistic path from higher security to a federal camp: how points drop, when reviews happen, how to request redesignation, and the overrides that block the move — explained honestly.
PLACEMENT — DISCIPLINE & DHODHO Hearings: When an Incident Report Threatens the Days
The federal prison disciplinary process from incident report to DHO hearing: the due-process rights, the sanctions including good-time loss, and how to appeal a DHO decision.
PLACEMENT — ELDERLY OFFENDER PROGRAMElderly Offender Home Detention Program
The Elderly Offender Home Detention Program lets qualifying older and terminally ill federal prisoners serve the rest of their sentence at home. Eligibility, the two-thirds rule, and how to request it.
PLACEMENT — TWO PRERELEASE LAWSFirst Step Act vs. Second Chance Act
The First Step Act and Second Chance Act both move people to halfway houses and home confinement — on different rules. How they differ, how 'stacking' combines them, and the current BOP policy.
PLACEMENT — FOR FAMILIESHow to Support Someone in Federal Prison
A practical guide for families: how to stay connected through mail, phone, Corrlinks, and visits, how to help with the case from outside, and how to protect your own wellbeing through a federal sentence.
PLACEMENT — MEDICAL CAREMedical Care Rights: Getting Treatment Through the Fence
What medical care federal prisoners are entitled to, how BOP care levels work, how families advocate for treatment, the records that matter, and when poor care becomes a legal claim.
PLACEMENT — RDAPRDAP: Up to Twelve Months Off, If You Qualify and Finish
The Residential Drug Abuse Program explained: who qualifies for the §3621(e) early release, the documentation trap, the 500-hour program itself, and how families support admission.
PLACEMENT — SECOND CHANCE ACTThe Second Chance Act: The Reentry Law Everyone Qualifies For
What the Second Chance Act actually provides: up to 12 months of halfway house, the home confinement tail, the individualized review every prisoner is owed, and how families invoke it.
PLACEMENT — CLASSIFICATIONSecurity Classification: The Point System That Decides Where You Live
How the BOP scores security classification under Program Statement 5100.08: the point system, public safety factors, management variables, and how families verify the scoring is right.
PLACEMENT — FAMILY LOGISTICSSending Money to a Federal Inmate
How to put money on a federal inmate's books through the BOP lockbox, MoneyGram, and Western Union — plus how the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program can take a share for court debt.
PLACEMENT — TRANSFERSTransfer Closer to Home: Working the 500-Mile Rule
How to request a federal prison transfer closer to home: the First Step Act 500-mile provision, how designation decisions work, what makes requests succeed, and the honest limits.
PLACEMENT — VISITINGVisiting Rights: Getting In, Staying Approved, Fighting Denials
How federal prison visiting works: getting on the visitor list, why applications get denied, dress codes and rules, video visits, and how to challenge a wrongful denial or suspension.
How the System Works
How the federal machine actually works.
The BOP, Explained: The Org Chart Every Advocate Needs
How the BOP is organized — institutions, regions, Grand Prairie, central office — and which office actually controls computations, designations, placements, and appeals. The org chart for advocates.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS — THE UNIT TEAMThe Unit Team: Turning Program Reviews Into Advocacy Checkpoints
The unit team runs a federal prisoner’s file: program reviews every 180 days, referrals, scores, and release planning. How to prepare for team meetings and turn them into advocacy checkpoints.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS — CORRLINKSCorrlinks: The Email Lifeline, Set Up and Used Well
How Corrlinks (TRULINCS) federal prison email works: setup, costs, message limits, monitoring, and how families build the weekly communication rhythm that powers real advocacy.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS — DETAINERSDetainers: The Paper Hold That Quietly Costs Months
What a detainer is, how state, federal, and ICE detainers block FSA credit application, camps, and halfway house placement — and the lawful ways detainers get resolved or removed.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS — FEDERAL VS STATEFederal vs State Prison: Why the Difference Changes Everything
Federal and state prison systems differ in sentencing law, good time, parole, programs, and remedies. What federal families need to know — and why advice from state-system veterans misleads.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS — RDAP ADMISSIONHow to Get Into RDAP
A step-by-step guide to getting admitted to the federal Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP): the documentation that decides it, the clinical interview, timing, waitlists, and transfers.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS — IFRPThe Inmate Financial Responsibility Program (IFRP)
How the BOP's Inmate Financial Responsibility Program collects court-ordered restitution and fines from inmate accounts, what 'IFRP Refuse' status costs, and how families should plan around it.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS — COMPUTATIONFederal Sentence Computation Explained
How the Bureau of Prisons computes a federal sentence — prior custody credit, good conduct time, First Step Act credits, and concurrent vs. consecutive terms — and how to read the computation sheet.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS — SUPERVISED RELEASESupervised Release: The Sentence After the Sentence
What supervised release is, the conditions that follow federal prison, how violations are handled, and the early termination motion available after one year — the family’s guide to the last phase.
When You Need More
Honest guidance for when self-help is not enough.
Finding Post-Conviction Counsel: The Search Done Right
How to find and vet a federal post-conviction attorney: where to search, the interview questions that matter, fee structures explained, and how to be the client who gets the best work.
WHEN YOU NEED MORE — SUPERVISIONSupervised Release Violations
How federal supervised release violations work: the difference between violation grades, when revocation is mandatory, how much prison time a violation can carry, and how to prepare.
WHEN YOU NEED MORE — THE HONEST LINEWhen You Actually Need a Lawyer: The Honest Line
A self-help site’s honest map of when pro se works and when counsel genuinely changes outcomes: the fights to run yourselves, the fights to hire for, and the red flags of bad help.
Do it all free — or join and get the templates, trackers, and coaching
Every guide on this site is free forever. Membership adds the self-help template library, the release-date tracker, procedural coaching, and a monthly bulletin that watches the BOP so you don’t have to. Prices published openly, starting at $29/month — because families supporting a federal prisoner already spend enough.