Criminal Defense Lawyers

Federal Prison Designation Requests

Federal Prison Designation Requests: What You Need to Know Before It’s Too Late

The judge just sentenced you to 24 months in federal prison. You got 60 days to turn yourself in. Your family is asking if you’ll be sent across the country, away from your kids. Your lawyer mutters something about “designation requests” but doesn’t explain what that actually means. Here’s the truth nobody tells you: where you serve your time isn’t random, and its not entirely up to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). You have ONE chance to influence this—but only if you act fast and know what your doing. This article explains exactly how federal prison designation works, what you can control, what you can’t, and the specific steps to take in teh next 48 hours to avoid the worst outcomes.

What Happens in the 48 Hours After Sentencing

You just left the courtroom. Your facing federal prison. Your probably in shock.

Here’s what happens next, and why it matters. Within 24-48 hours of sentencing, the court forwards your case to the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). If you was remanded into custody at sentencing, USMS takes you immediantly. If the judge granted self-surrender (and you should of fought for this), you got time to prepare. Either way, the BOP Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) in Grand Prairie, Texas recieves your file and begins the designation process.

Here’s the deal: DSCC processes over 70,000 designation requests every year. Your just a number. They spend about 8-12 minutes reviewing your file. In that tiny window, they decide where you’ll spend the next months or years of you’re life. Based off your Pre-Sentence Report (PSR), criminal history, and security classification points, they assign you to a facility.

The timeline is tight. According to BOP’s own guidance, designation takes aproximately 7-14 days from when USMS transfers you (or from when you self-surrender). But here’s what they don’t tell you: if you don’t submit a designation request BEFORE that process starts, your missing your window.

Look, alot of defendants waste that first week in shock. By the time they start researching designation, its to late. The designation has been made. Your stuck with whatever DSCC decided based off incomplete information.

Don’t let that be you.

Self-Surrender vs. Being Taken Into Custody

This is the first critical decision. If you was remanded into custody at sentencing, your going into what inmates call “diesel therapy”—weeks or even months of being transfered between county jails and federal holding facilities while USMS tries to get you to your designated prison. During this time, you got no commissary access, limited phone calls, no programs. Its miserable, and it can take 3-6 weeks or longer.

If you self-surrender, you show up at your designated facility on a specific date. You skip diesel therapy entirely. You go strait to your placement. This is why self-surrender is non-negotiable for anyone who can get it. Judges grant it in 70-80% of non-violent cases, irregardless of the charges.

The Pre-Sentencing Fight Nobody Tells You About

If your reading this before sentencing, your ahead of 90% of defendants.

Most people think the designation fight starts after sentencing. Their wrong. It starts during the Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) process, and this is you’re biggest leverage point.

Here’s why: The PSR prepared by the probation officer includes a section on offense severity. BOP uses this to calculate your security classification points. If the PSR says you’re offense was “greatest severity,” you get more points. More points means higher security facility. Simple math, but the consequences ain’t simple.

So basically, if the PSR mischaracterizes you’re offense—says its more serious then it actually was, or fails to mention mitigating factors—your security classification is wrong from day one. And once its locked in, its nearly impossable to change.

What you do: File objections to the PSR. Most defense attorneys focus PSR objections on guideline calculations (because that effects sentence length). They ignore the offense severity characterization becuase they don’t realize it controls designation. Make sure your attorney specifically objects to any language that inflates offense severity or suggests your a danger.

Example: If your PSR says you “led a criminal enterprise” when you was really a low-level participant, object. If it says you “threatened violence” when you never did, object. Get that language changed before the PSR is finalized.

This is your one shot.

The Security Classification Point System (And Why It’s a Lie)

Everybody talks about the BOP point system like its some kind of objective formula. You calculate your points, you get assigned to a facility that matches you’re security level. Minimum security (camps) for 0-11 points. Low security for 12-15 points. Medium for 16-23. High for 24+.

Seems strait forward, right?

Wrong. The point system is a lie—or at least, its only part of the story. What nobody tells you is that Public Safety Factors (PSFs) can override your point total completely.

What Are Public Safety Factors?

PSFs are listed in BOP Program Statement 5100.008CN, Appendix A. Their things like “Greatest Severity Offense,” “Disruptive Group,” “Sentence Length,” “Type of Detainer,” and about 13 other categories. If you have a PSF, BOP can—and often does—place you at a higher security level then your points indicate.

Real talk: this happens in 15-20% of cases. You might have 8 points (which should put you in a minimum-security camp), but if you got a “Greatest Severity Offense” PSF because you was convicted of a drug conspiracy involving more then 400 grams of fentanyl, BOP can say “nope, your going to a low-security facility instead.” No appeal. No negotiation. Just a higher security placement based off factors that ain’t transparent.

Here’s the thing—PSFs are supposed to be based on legitimate public safety concerns. But in practice, their applied inconsistantly. Two defendants with identical point totals and similar offenses can get completeley different designations because one has a PSF and the other doesn’t. The system is subjective, irregardless of what BOP claims.

Can You Qualify for a Camp?

Federal Prison Camps (FPCs) are the holy grail. No fences. No cells (dormitory-style housing). Minimal security. White-collar defendants dream about camps.

But qualifying ain’t easy, and even if you qualify, getting a spot is harder.

To qualify for a camp, you need all of the following:

• 0-11 security points
• No history of violence or escapes
• No serious disciplinary issues
• Less than 10 years remaining on you’re sentence
• No PSFs that disqualify you

Even if you meet these criteria, there’s only about 17 standalone federal prison camps plus around 70 satellite camps attached to larger facilities. Total capacity: aproximately 18,000 beds out of 160,000+ federal inmates. That’s about 11%. Bed space is limited, and demand is high.

So what does this mean for you? It means that even if you qualify for a camp, you might not get one unless you specifically request it and show BOP why it makes sense. Don’t just assume “I have low points, so I’ll go to a camp.” Doesn’t work that way. You gotta make the arguement in your designation request.

The Four Security Levels Explained

People also ask: What are the four levels of classification for prisons? Here’s the breakdown:

Minimum Security (Federal Prison Camps): These facilties have the lowest level of security. No fences, dormitory housing, low staff-to-inmate ratio. Inmates here was typically convicted of non-violent, white-collar crimes. Think tax evasion, fraud, low-level drug offenses without violence.

Low Security (Federal Correctional Institutions – FCIs): These have double-fenced perimeters, mostly dormitory housing (some cells), and higher staff-to-inmate ratios then camps. Your still talking non-violent offenders, but with longer sentences or slightly more serious offenses.

Medium Security: Strengthened perimeters (double fences with electronic monitoring), cell-based housing, high staff-to-inmate ratio, more internal controls. Inmates here have more extensive criminal histories or was convicted of more serious offenses.

High Security (United States Penitentiaries – USPs): Highly secured perimeters (walls or reinforced fences), multiple security barriers, close control of inmate movement. These facilties house the most dangerous offenders—violent criminals, gang members, people with long sentences.

Bottom line: if your a first-time, non-violent offender, you should be looking at minimum or low security. If BOP tries to put you in medium or high, something is wrong with you’re classification or their’s a PSF in play.

The Designation Request Letter That Actually Works

Okay, here’s where the rubber meets the road.

You need to write a designation request letter. This is you’re one shot to tell BOP where you want to go and why they should accomodate you’re request. Most people screw this up becuase they don’t know what BOP actually wants to see.

I mean, look—most designation requests are garbage. Their 1-2 pages of generic pleading: “Please send me to XYZ Camp because its close to my family.” That’s it. No analysis. No supporting documentation. No explanation of why you meet the criteria. BOP reads that in 30 seconds, says “noted,” and does whatever they was gonna do anyway.

Here’s what actually works: a detailed, organized designation request packet that does DSCC’s job for them. Your making it easy for the reviewer to say yes. Your showing you’ve done the research. Your proving you meet the criteria.

What to Include in Your Designation Request

1. Personal Background and Offense Summary (1-2 pages)

Start with who you are. Not a number—a person. Your age, where you live, your family situation (married, kids, elderly parents who depend on you). Your employment history. Your community ties. Then summarize you’re offense in plain language. Don’t minimize it, but don’t let the goverment’s version be the only version.

Example: “I am 42 years old, married with two children ages 8 and 10. I lived in Phoenix, Arizona my entire life. I worked as an accountant for 15 years before this case. I plead guilty to one count of wire fraud involving overstated revenue in financial statements. I accept full responsibility for my actions. I have no prior criminal history.”

2. Security Classification Analysis (2-3 pages)

This is where you show you understand the point system. You calculate your own security points based off the factors in BOP Policy 5100.008CN. You show your work. You explain why you qualify for minimum or low security.

Include:

• Severity of current offense (points)
• Criminal history (points)
• History of violence (yes/no)
• History of escape (yes/no)
• Type of detainer (points)
• Voluntary surrender (deduction)

Then you total it up. “Based on these factors, my security classification score is 7 points, which places me in minimum security (0-11 points). I have no Public Safety Factors that would override this classification.”

If you DO have a PSF, address it head-on. Don’t ignore it and hope they don’t notice. Explain why the PSF shouldn’t apply or why it doesn’t make you a danger.

3. Specific Facility Requests with Justification (2-3 pages)

This is critical. Don’t just request one facility. List 3-5 facilities in order of preference, and for each one, explain why it makes sense.

Example:

“First Choice: FPC Tucson (Tucson, Arizona) – This facility is 118 miles from my residence in Phoenix, well within the First Step Act’s 500-mile proximity preference. It is a minimum-security camp that matches my security classification. My wife and children can visit regularly, which research shows reduces recidivism by over 30%. According to BOP’s inmate locator, FPC Tucson currently houses aproximately 180 inmates in a facility rated for 189, indicating bed space availibility.”

“Second Choice: FPC Phoenix (Phoenix, Arizona) – Located in my home city, this satellite camp adjacent to FCI Phoenix is only 12 miles from my residence. It offers the same security level and even closer proximity for family visits. Current population is aproximately 130 in a facility rated for 144.”

“Third Choice: FPC Safford (Safford, Arizona) – Located 142 miles from Phoenix, this is another minimum-security option within 500 miles. While farther then my first two choices, it remains accessible for family visits and meets all program and security requirements.”

See what your doing here? Your not just saying “I want to go to Tucson.” Your showing you’ve researched bed availability (using BOP’s public inmate locator). Your citing the 500-mile rule. Your explaining family ties. Your giving DSCC multiple options so they ain’t forced into a yes/no decision on one facility.

4. Family and Community Ties Documentation (1-2 pages)

BOP is supposed to consider family proximity. The First Step Act explicitly requires it. But you gotta prove it. Don’t just say “I have a family.” Show it.

Include:

• Letters from your spouse, parents, children (if age-appropriate)
• Evidence of family visits during pre-trial release (if applicable)
• Medical documentation if you have elderly parents or a sick family member who needs you nearby
• Work and community ties (letters from employers, community organizations, church, etc.)

Real talk: DSCC might not read every letter, but the volume matters. A thick packet signals that you got strong ties. A thin packet signals you don’t.

5. Medical and Mental Health Needs (if applicable)

If you got any ongoing medical conditions—diabetes, high blood pressure, mobility issues, chronic pain, mental health treatment needs—document them. Get letters from your doctors. Be specific about what treatment you need and why regular monitoring is neccessary.

This is your path to a Federal Medical Center (FMC) or a facility with better medical resources. BOP operates FMCs in Devens (Massachusetts), Lexington (Kentucky), Butner (North Carolina), Rochester (Minnesota), Carswell (Texas, for women), and Springfield (Missouri). If you can show you need specialized care, you might get designated to one of these facilties instead of a regular FCI.

But here’s the catch—you gotta submit medical records WITH your designation request, not after. If DSCC makes the designation and then you say “oh by the way, I have diabetes,” its to late. They already decided.

6. Programming Needs

BOP is supposed to place you where you can access programs you need—drug treatment (if you got a drug conviction), education, vocational training. If there’s a specific program at a specific facility that you need, mention it.

Example: “I have been accepted into the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) and understand that FCI Phoenix offers this program. Completing RDAP could reduce my sentence by up to 12 months under 18 U.S.C. § 3621(e).”

But don’t make stuff up. If you don’t actually need RDAP, don’t claim you do. BOP can see through that.

When to Submit Your Designation Request

Timing matters. Here’s the ideal timeline:

Pre-Sentencing: If you know your likely sentence range and the judge has indicated self-surrender, draft your designation request in advance. You can’t submit it until after sentencing (because you don’t have a final sentence yet), but you can have it ready to go.

Immediately After Sentencing: Submit your designation request to DSCC within 48-72 hours of sentencing. Don’t wait. The sooner you get it in, the better you’re chances that DSCC considers it before making a designation.

How to Submit: Mail it to:
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Designation and Sentence Computation Center
Grand Prairie, Texas 75051

Also email a copy to your attorney and ask them to follow up with DSCC by phone. Sometimes a call from an attorney gets more attention then a letter from an inmate.

Medical Designations and Special Needs

If you got a medical condition, you might qualify for placement at a Federal Medical Center (FMC) or a facility with better medical resources.

This is one of the most underutilized strategies in the designation process, and its easier then you think—if you have documentation.

BOP operates six FMCs. These facilties have on-site medical staff, hospitals, and specialized treatment capabilities. Their designed for inmates who need regular medical monitoring or treatment that general population facilities can’t provide. Conditions that might qualify you include:

• Diabetes requiring insulin or regular monitoring
• Heart conditions requiring cardiologist oversight
• Cancer or other serious illnesses requiring ongoing treatment
• Severe mobility issues (wheelchair, walker, etc.)
• Mental health conditions requiring psychiatric care and medication management
• Chronic pain requiring pain management

Here’s what alot of defendants don’t realize: you don’t need to be terminally ill to get a medical designation. You just need to show that you require a level of care that a regular facility can’t provide.

What to do: Before sentencing (or immediantly after), see your doctor. Get a detailed letter explaining you’re condition, the treatment you recieve, and why you need ongoing monitoring. Be specific. “Patient has Type 2 diabetes and requires daily insulin injections and regular blood glucose monitoring” is better then “Patient has diabetes.”

Submit this documentation with your designation request. Make the case that a FMC or a facility with robust medical resources is appropiate for you. DSCC reviews medical designations on a case-by-case basis, and about 12% of federal inmates have some kind of medical designation status.

Psychological Evaluations as a Strategic Tool

Here’s a tactic almost nobody uses: getting a psychological evaluation before designation. If your PSR mentions any history of violence, substance abuse, or mental health issues, a current psych eval can counteract that negative language.

A licensed psychologist can evaluate you and write a report stating that you have “low risk of violence,” “stable mental health,” “no current substance abuse issues,” etc. This isn’t about gaming the system—its about providing current, accurate information that might not be in you’re PSR.

Cost: $1,500-$3,000 depending on the evaluator.

Worth it? If it drops you from medium security to low security, absoluteley. That could mean years in a better environment with more programs, more freedom, and closer proximity to family.

The 500-Mile Rule and Why It Fails 32% of the Time

The First Step Act of 2018 requires BOP to place inmates within 500 driving miles of their release residence “to the extent practicable.”

Sounds great, right?

In practice, BOP violates this rule in aproximately 32% of cases, based on recent DOJ Office of Inspector General data.

Why? Because BOP has exceptions. Lots of them. Here’s the big ones:

1. Bed Space Limitations: “We don’t have space at facilities within 500 miles.” This is the most common excuse. If your security level is medium and there’s no medium-security facility within 500 miles with available beds, BOP can send you farther away.

2. Security Overrides: “Your security classification requires a specific facility that’s outside 500 miles.” If you got a PSF or other security concern, BOP can override the 500-mile preference.

3. Program Availability: “The programs you need (like RDAP) ain’t available at facilities within 500 miles.” BOP can prioritize program placement over proximity.

4. Geographic Limitations: If you live in Montana, Wyoming, or other rural areas, there might not BE a federal facility within 500 miles. BOP isn’t required to build new prisons just to satisfy the 500-mile rule.

5. Medical Needs: If you need a FMC and the nearest one is 700 miles away, medical needs trump the 500-mile preference.

So what does this mean for you? It means you can’t just cite the 500-mile rule and assume BOP will follow it. You gotta do the research yourself and show that there ARE facilities within 500 miles that meet you’re security level and have bed space.

How to Research Bed Availability

Use BOP’s Inmate Locator. Search for inmates at the facilities your interested in. The locator shows current population. Then compare that to the facility’s rated capacity (you can find this on BOP’s facility pages). If a facility is at 95% capacity or higher, beds are tight. If its at 80-85%, there’s probly room.

Include this research in your designation request. “According to BOP’s inmate locator, FPC Tucson currently houses aproximately 180 inmates in a facility rated for 189, indicating bed availibility.” Your showing DSCC that you’ve done they’re homework for them.

Timing Your Self-Surrender and Avoiding Diesel Therapy

If the judge granted you self-surrender (and you should of fought hard for this), you got a decision to make: when to surrender.

Does the date actually matter?

Yes. More then you think.

BOP designation processing happens year-round, but staffing levels and backlogs vary. Based on anecdotal reports from federal defense attorneys and inmates, here’s what seems to be true:

Avoid Late December/Early January: Holiday season means reduced staffing at DSCC and federal facilities. Surrendering between December 20 and January 5 can mean longer processing times—up to 2-3 weeks instead of the usual 7-10 days. You might sit in a county jail waiting for designation longer then neccessary.

Spring/Summer Seems Faster: March through August appears to have the fastest processing times. Why? Budget cycles, staffing levels, and lower overall caseloads (fewer people sentenced during summer months means less backlog).

Avoid Federal Holidays: Surrendering the day before a long weekend (Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day) can mean delays. DSCC doesn’t work weekends or federal holidays, so your sitting in intake longer.

If your judge gives you flexability on surrender date (common for self-surrenders), choose strategicly. Surrender on a Tuesday or Wednesday in March, April, or May if possible. Avoid Mondays (facilities are backed up from the weekend) and Fridays (you might sit untill Monday for processing).

What Is Diesel Therapy and How to Avoid It

If you don’t self-surrender—if your remanded into custody at sentencing—you enter what inmates call “diesel therapy.”

This is the process of being transfered between county jails and federal transfer centers while USMS tries to get you to you’re designated facility.

It works like this: You get sentenced in Los Angeles. BOP designates you to a facility in Florida. But USMS doesn’t fly you directly to Florida. Instead, you get bussed to a federal transfer center in Oklahoma City. You sit there for a week. Then you get bussed to Atlanta. You sit there for another week. Then you finally get bussed to your designated facility in Florida.

Total time: 3-6 weeks or longer.

During diesel therapy, you have no commissary access. No phone calls (or very limited). No programs. No stability. Your constantly moving. Its the worst part of federal incarceration, and you can avoid it entirely by self-surrendering.

Self-surrender is non-negotiable. If your attorney didn’t get you voluntary surrender at sentencing, file a motion asking the judge to reconsider. Judges grant these motions frequently, especially if you have no flight risk and strong community ties.

State/Federal Complications and Edge Cases

If you got both state and federal charges, things get complicated fast.

Who gets you first? When does your federal sentence start? How does BOP designate you if your already in state custody? These are questions that most defendants don’t think about untill its to late.

Here’s the basic framework: If your in state custody when federal sentencing happens, the federal goverment can request a writ ad prosequendum—basically, they borrow you from state custody for federal proceedings. You go to federal court, you get sentenced, and then you go BACK to state custody to finish your state sentence. Your federal sentence doesn’t start untill the state releases you.

This can add years of uncertainity. You don’t know when your federal sentence will start. You don’t know where BOP will designate you. Your stuck waiting in state prison with no clarity.

What to do: If you got pending state charges, resolve them BEFORE federal sentencing if possible. Plead them out, get them dismissed, whatever you can do. If your already in state custody, your attorney needs to coordinate with both jurisdictions about sentence computation. Ask the federal judge to reccomend concurrent sentences (state and federal running at the same time) rather then consecutive. Not all judges will do it, but its worth asking.

Another edge case: detainers. If you got an ICE detainer (immigration hold), that complicates designation. BOP might designate you to a facility near the border or a facility that handles ICE transfers. If you got a detainer from another jurisdiction (like a probation violation in another state), that effects designation too.

Bottom line: if you got multiple jurisdictions involved, you need an attorney who understands sentence computation and BOP policy.

This ain’t DIY territory.

What to Do If Your Designation Request Gets Denied

So you submitted a detailed designation request. You asked for FPC Tucson. BOP designated you to FCI Sheridan in Oregon—900 miles away, higher security then you qualify for, completely ignoring the 500-mile rule.

Now what?

You got options, but their limited. BOP designation decisions ain’t directly appealable through the court system. The judge doesn’t control where you go—only BOP does. But you can challenge the designation through BOP’s internal Administrative Remedy process.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: File a BP-8 (Request to Staff) – This is an informal request to the warden or DSCC asking them to reconsider you’re designation. You explain why the current designation is inappropiate (wrong security level, violates 500-mile rule, ignores medical needs, etc.). You submit this within 20 days of recieving your designation.

Most BP-8 requests get denied. But you gotta file it to preserve your administrative remedies.

Step 2: File a BP-9 (Administrative Remedy) – If the BP-8 is denied (and it probly will be), you file a formal BP-9 within 20 days of the denial. This goes to the Regional Director. You make the same arguments, but more formal.

Step 3: File a BP-10 (Appeal to Central Office) – If the BP-9 is denied, you can appeal to BOP’s Central Office in Washington, D.C. This is your final administrative appeal.

Step 4: File a BP-11 (Appeal to General Counsel) – If Central Office denies you, you can appeal to BOP’s Office of General Counsel. This is the end of the line administratively.

Only after you exhaust all these steps can you potentially file a federal lawsuit challenging the designation. But courts are extremely deferential to BOP on designation decisions. Winning in court is rare.

A better strategy: request a transfer after you’ve been at your designated facility for 18 months. BOP allows transfer requests, and if you’ve been a model inmate and your circumstances have changed (like your family moved, or a facility closer to home now has bed space), you might get approved.

Don’t give up. Alot of inmates get redesignated or transfered after persistant advocacy. But you gotta be strategic, you gotta document everything, and you gotta follow BOP’s procedures exactly.

One More Thing: The 85% Rule

People also ask: What is the 85% rule in federal prison?

This doesn’t directly relate to designation, but since your gonna be in federal custody, you should understand it.

Federal inmates can earn good time credit under 18 U.S.C. § 3624(b). For every year you serve, you can earn up to 54 days of credit toward early release (not 47 days, despite what some sources say—this was changed). That works out to aproximately 15% off your sentence if you stay out of trouble.

So if you got a 24-month sentence, you’ll actually serve about 20-21 months if you earn all available good time. The “85% rule” means you serve at least 85% of your sentence before release. Their’s no parole in the federal system—you serve your time minus good time credit, and then your released to supervised release (probation).

This is why staying out of trouble matters. Disciplinary infractions can cost you good time, which means you serve more of you’re sentence. Keep your head down, follow the rules, and you’ll get out as early as possible.

Final Thoughts: You Have More Control Than You Think

Federal prison designation feels like something that happens TO you. And in alot of ways, it is. BOP makes the final decision.

But you ain’t powerless.

If you understand how the system works, if you submit a detailed and well-researched designation request, if you advocate for yourself (or hire someone who can), you can influence the outcome.

Don’t just accept whatever DSCC decides. Don’t assume “they know best.” They don’t. Their processing 70,000 cases a year. Your just a file number. If you don’t advocate for yourself, nobody will.

Start now. If you haven’t been sentenced yet, work with your attorney on PSR objections. If you just got sentenced, draft your designation request today. If you already got a bad designation, file your BP-8 before the deadline.

This is your life. Your family. Your future.

Fight for it.

If you need help navigating federal prison designation, contact our office. We handle post-sentencing advocacy, designation requests, and administrative appeals. Call us today.