Federal Prison Tips

05/29/2026

What we know about the new mattresses for $175 in federal prison

05/29/2026

Win Your Early Termination of Supervised Release: Rod's Success Story. We discuss an important case for anyone on supervised release after federal prison. We talk about Rod Criswell, whose early termination of supervision was granted by the judge despite both his probation officer and the government opposing it. We explain how the judge, not the prosecutor or probation officer, has the ultimate control over supervised release decisions. We're celebrating Rod's two years of freedom with a special weekend offer on early termination services.

05/26/2026

Essential Tips for Writing Federal Clemency and Pardon Applications. We discuss crucial tips for writing clemency and pardon applications to the federal pardon attorney's office. We explain that clemency and pardon are not times to avoid responsibility—you must fully accept your actions and demonstrate rehabilitation and reduced recidivism risk. We clarify the key differences: clemency commutes your federal prison sentence and lets you go home, while a pardon makes it as if the conviction never happened. We note that you can request clemency while in federal prison but not after release, whereas pardon requests can be made from prison. We share where to find applications through the U.S. Pardon Attorney's website or your prison law library, and we offer our services to help with comprehensive 20-30 page narratives alongside the required eight-page application.

05/26/2026

If you want to fix your credit when you get home from federal prison make sure you get this form from your case manager

05/25/2026

3 Essential Tips for Your Federal Sentencing Allocution. We discuss the critical importance of allocution during federal sentencing and share three key strategies to effectively address the judge: accepting full responsibility for your actions, apologizing to your victims (including family members affected by your crime), and apologizing to the court for their time. We also recommend showing respect, dressing appropriately, and expressing your commitment to rehabilitation programs offered by the Bureau of Prisons.

05/24/2026

Three Things You Might Not Know About the RDAP Program in Federal Prison. I discuss three important things about the RDAP program in federal prison that you might not have known. We talk about how RDAP is conducted in a residential therapeutic community separate from general population, how you're required to attend daily community meetings and pull up other inmates, and how the three-phase structure means you could lose significant time if rolled back. I also share a bonus fourth point about how you can't sign out of RDAP once committed. We recommend considering the First Step Act instead for sentences under 70 months.

05/24/2026

Can Inmates Buy Tablet Chargers on Commissary in Federal Prison? We explain whether inmates can purchase chargers for tablets on commissary in federal prison. We discuss how SCORE 7C tablets are charged using communal chargers located near Trulinks kiosks on housing units, and why the Bureau of Prisons doesn't allow inmates to have personal USB-C chargers due to contraband concerns with cell phones.

05/22/2026

https://federalprisontips.com/925c/

DOJ Quietly Approves 22 Individuals In “Beta Test” In February 2026 For more than three decades, Americans seeking to restore their federally prohibited firearm rights faced an absolute brick wall. Under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c), a mechanism technically existed allowing individuals to petition for re...

05/22/2026

https://federalprisontips.com/memorial-day-weekend-2026/

Supporting A Loved One In Prison Is Hard, Federal Prison Tips Can Help Federal Prison Tips has everything reduced this weekend for Memorial Day 2026. Before Federal Prison Tips came about two years ago in order to use a Federal Prison Consultant or a federal post conviction company it took thousands...

05/22/2026

How to Stand Out with Your Clemency or Pardon Application for Trump's 250th Anniversary Pardons. We discuss President Trump's upcoming 250 clemencies or pardons planned for July 4th (or possibly June 14th), and explain how to make your clemency application stand out from the 20,000 pending applications. We share our proven strategy of combining the required 8-page application with a 20-30 page long-form narrative, and reveal additional tips like including photos, using report covers, and formatting your submission professionally. We've successfully helped over 200 people achieve clemency, including notable cases like Nevin Shapiro after three previous denials, and we're currently accepting only 25 cases with just three spots remaining.

05/22/2026

The Truth About 924(c) Guideline Amendments: What You Need to Know. We explain what happened to the guideline amendment for 924(c) and clarify that there was no amendment proposed. We discuss the history of 924(c) dating back to the '90s when Senator Strom Thurmond and Senator Joe Biden proposed it with a mandatory five-year sentence that was stackable. We cover how the First Step Act eliminated stacking of 924(c)s (though not retroactively), and emphasize that any changes to this federal law require an act of Congress and presidential signature. We also let you know there's no amendment planned for next year either.