Self-Surrender at a Federal Prison - Tales of a Former Federal Inmate

Recently Release From Prison

Tales of a Former Federal Inmate

NOTE: The Federal Bureau of Prisons acts as its own arm of the United States Department of Justice

How do you self-Surrender?

Just show up to the facility with your state issued id. You will be assigned a facility by the FBOP. It is supposed to 500 miles from your home but most of the time you end up where they put you. You could be from New York and end up in Minnesota. You can surrender directly to the facility or to the marshals in your district. They will see that you get transferred. The question becomes when. During transfers you will be shackled at the feet and wrists. As long as you are in custody your time counts, I don’t care what your lawyer says. (Your lawyer has never been to prison. If he had, he probably wouldn’t be your lawyer.)

If you go directly to the facility and are told to be there at 2 PM, be there at 2 PM, there are no consequences for being late but it is technically disobeying a direct order. (I was late I got there at 5 pm and spent my first night in seg.) Do not show up drunk (do not consume any alcohol on your way to your facility) or high to the facility or you will go straight to segregation. You are not allowed to bring medication with you. You can bring your glasses and you may wear a wedding ring that is worth less that $99. Any clothes that you are wearing will be sent back to your family. You may bring money with you either cash or a money order NO personal checks.

Why do you need money in prison?

Commissary, phone calls, e-mail, paying restitution and fines.

Where is your money kept?

Your money is maintained in an account at your facility. You can have money sent to you while at the facility. It can be sent by Western Union or by money order. You use this money to do to commissary, to pay for the phone and e-mail. The facility will take money out for any restitution and fines that need to be paid. Phone calls are 15 minutes and the phone times you and beeps when you are out of time. The phone will end the call for you. You have to wait 45 minutes in between phone calls. You are allowed 300 minutes a month for calls except November and December when you 400 minutes a month. If you have a job at your facility, that money will be deposited into your account.

How much should you bring?

If you owe the government nothing, as much money as you like. If you have to pay fines and restitution, less than $300. Commissary is where you get your grays (to wear when out of your uniform), toiletries, stamps, envelopes, food to eat instead of what is served in the cafeteria, sneakers and a radio.

How much restitution will you pay while incarcerated?

The Federal Bureau of Prisons acts as its own branch of the Department of Justice. You were ordered to $25 per quarter for restitution. Your facility will recalculate the amount of money that you pay based on the money in your account. If you come to the facility with more than $400, that amount is automatically recalculated. If your family sends you money every month, restitution will be recalculated. Some inmates pay $50-150 per month or more in restitution. Also is you get a job at your facility that pays more than $50 per month, your restitution will be recalculated so that you will pay half of your salary monthly for restitution even if you have no money coming in from the outside.

Good time/ Half way houses

Good time for federal prison inmates is 15% of your sentence. The time that you spend in a community half way house is 10% of your sentence up to six months.

Example: Math for the non-white collar criminals:

Sentence: 36 months

Goodtime: 5.4 months

Halfway house time: 3.6 months

You will do approximately 31-32 months of your sentence. At month 27 or 28 you will go to a half-way house. While at the halfway house, if you have a job and and a place to live, you can on home confinement for the remainder of your sentence. Half way houses have a bad reputation because they are known for calling employers every hour to make sure that you are there. On home confinement they do the same thing.

There is something called the Second Chance Act which allows you to get 6 months in a halfway house if you are entitled to less than that. The Federal Bureau of Prisons acts as its own branch of the Department of Justice. So if you need extra time in the half way house, it is solely at the discretion of your facility if you get the time. You make get it for certain reasons such as no housing when you are released or to deal with issues of a sick child or child custody issues. On issues of children, you are more likely to get it if you are a woman and were the sole caretaker of your child. You cannot claim homelessness if your family comes to see you every week and puts money in your account regularly.