Federal Sentencing & BOP Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the federal sentencing and Bureau of Prisons terms that come up most often between sentencing and self-surrender.

Terms

• Self-surrender: When a federal defendant is permitted to remain free between sentencing and the start of the sentence, then voluntarily reports to the designated Bureau of Prisons facility by a specific date and time. It is the alternative to being remanded into custody at sentencing.
• Designation: The Bureau of Prisons' assignment of a specific facility based on security points, medical care levels, programming needs, judicial recommendations, and management variables drawn from the Pre-Sentence Report and other inputs.
• Pre-Sentence Report (PSR): A report prepared by U.S. Probation summarizing offense conduct, criminal history, personal and family circumstances, financial condition, and substance use and mental health history. It drives sentencing, designation, programming eligibility, and reentry decisions.
• Judgment & Commitment Order (J&C): The court order that states the sentence, conditions, and any judicial recommendations regarding facility placement or programming. The BOP considers, but is not bound by, judicial recommendations.
• First Step Act (FSA): A 2018 federal law that, among other things, created earned time credits for eligible inmates who complete approved programming and productive activities, and expanded several reentry mechanisms.
• FSA earned time credits: Credits earned by eligible inmates for completing approved programming and productive activities. Application of credits is gated by offense, PATTERN risk score, and other eligibility rules.
• PATTERN: Prisoner Assessment Tool Targeting Estimated Risk and Needs. A risk and needs assessment used by the BOP to classify inmates and to determine eligibility to apply FSA earned time credits.
• Good Conduct Time (GCT): Up to 54 days per year of sentence credit for compliant institutional behavior. Distinct from FSA earned time credits.
• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP): A 9- to 12-month intensive substance abuse treatment program. Successful completion can result in a sentence reduction for eligible inmates, gated by offense and verified pre-arrest substance use history.
• Second Chance Act (SCA): Federal law that supports community placement — Residential Reentry Center (halfway house) and home confinement — at the end of a federal sentence to support reentry.
• Residential Reentry Center (RRC): A community facility used by the BOP for the final phase of a sentence, with structured release for work and programming.
• Home confinement: A form of community placement in which an inmate serves the final phase of a sentence at an approved residence, subject to monitoring and conditions.
• Inmate Financial Responsibility Program (IFRP): A program through which the BOP collects against court-ordered financial obligations — restitution, fines, special assessments — during incarceration. Participation status affects commissary spending limits, housing, and programming access.
• Commissary: The store inside a federal facility where inmates purchase food, hygiene items, and other approved goods on a scheduled commissary day, funded through the inmate trust account.
• Inmate trust account: An account held by the BOP on behalf of each inmate. Outside deposits fund commissary purchases, phone time, and electronic messaging.
• TRULINCS / CorrLinks: The BOP's electronic messaging system. Messages are monitored, communication partners must be approved, and use is paid through the inmate trust account.

More from this site

• Federal Prison Readiness Assessment
• Self-Surrender Preparedness Score (8 questions)
• Preparation Hub
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Resources & Tools

Federal Sentence Help is an independent guidance service. It is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the Bureau of Prisons. Nothing here is legal advice.