BOP Facility Designation

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. One such factor is the security 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. 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 work and program 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, and if the defendant has any Central Inmate Monitoring (CIM) issues.

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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.

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This is where the Prison Consulting Group (PCG) can help. PCG provides assistance in choosing the appropriate federal prison for our clients. All factors are considered including placement in a facility close to the defendant’s family. Normally, 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. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. PCG, by laying pre-sentencing groundwork, positions the inmate for a favorable placement near his family, in a 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.

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PCG 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.

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