After a federal sentencing, families usually have the same questions: Where will he be sent? When does she report? How much of the sentence is actually served? Can a treatment program or the First Step Act shorten it?
This guide answers those questions for people sentenced in the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri. One point first, plainly: the Federal Bureau of Prisons, not the judge and not the defense lawyer, decides where a person serves a federal sentence.
Designation
Who decides which federal prison you go to?
The Bureau of Prisons, under 18 U.S.C. § 3621(b).
The judge can recommend a facility or a program, and the BOP must consider that recommendation, but it is not binding. Neither the court nor the defense controls where a person is designated. The BOP weighs bed space, the person’s security level, programming needs, medical and mental health needs, and other factors.
The statute directs the BOP, subject to those factors, to place a person as close as practicable to their primary residence, and to the extent practicable within 500 driving miles. For someone from Missouri, that can still mean a facility in another state. The judge’s recommendation and accurate information in the presentence report about medical needs, family, and programming are the main ways to influence the decision.
Reporting
What is self-surrender in a federal case?
Reporting directly to the designated facility on a set date, instead of being taken into custody at sentencing.
If a person has been on release and has complied with every condition, the judge may allow voluntary surrender. The person goes home after sentencing, the BOP designates a facility, and the person receives a date and place to report, often several weeks later. Whether self-surrender is allowed depends on the offense, the person’s history on release, and the court’s view of risk. Some offenses require detention after a guilty verdict or plea unless narrow exceptions apply.
Self-surrender has practical advantages: time to arrange work, family, and finances; reporting directly to the facility instead of passing through county jails; and a record of compliance that the BOP considers.
The surrender date is a court order. Missing it is a separate federal crime.
Time served
How much of a federal sentence is actually served?
There is no parole, but several credits can shorten the time in prison.
Good conduct time
Under 18 U.S.C. § 3624(b), a person serving more than one year can earn up to 54 days of credit for each year of the sentence imposed, for compliance with prison rules. In practice, that means about 85 percent of the sentence for someone who earns all of it.
First Step Act time credits
Under 18 U.S.C. § 3632(d)(4), eligible people earn 10 days of credit for every 30 days of recidivism reduction programming or productive activities, plus 5 more for those assessed at minimum or low risk. Credits can move a person to prerelease custody, or to supervised release up to 12 months early.
RDAP
The Residential Drug Abuse Program is an intensive treatment program. Under § 3621(e), the BOP may reduce the sentence of a person convicted of a nonviolent offense who completes it by up to one year. Eligibility rules are set by the BOP and exclude some offenses.
Home confinement and halfway house
Near the end of a sentence, the BOP can place a person in a residential reentry center or home confinement. Home confinement under § 3624(c) is limited to the shorter of 10 percent of the sentence or six months, separate from First Step Act credits.
Eligibility
Who is not eligible for First Step Act credits?
People serving sentences for offenses on a statutory list.
Section 3632(d)(4)(D) lists offenses that make a person ineligible to earn time credits. The list includes many violent and sex offenses, certain terrorism offenses, and using or carrying a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking or violent crime under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), along with some serious drug offenses. Even an eligible person must have a qualifying risk assessment for credits to be applied.
Because eligibility for both First Step Act credits and RDAP can depend on the exact statute of conviction and on facts in the presentence report, those issues are worth considering before a plea, not just after sentencing.
See federal presentence report objections and federal plea agreements. For court-ordered reductions later, see compassionate release.
After release
What is federal supervised release?
A period of supervision by a federal probation officer that follows prison.
Most federal sentences include a term of supervised release, and some drug offenses carry mandatory minimum terms. The person must follow standard and special conditions, such as reporting, drug testing, employment, and travel restrictions. A violation can lead to revocation and a return to prison. Supervised release is served after the prison term, not instead of it.
FAQ
Federal prison questions families ask
Can the judge choose which federal prison someone goes to?
No. The judge can recommend a facility or program, and the Bureau of Prisons must consider it, but the BOP makes the final decision.
Is there a federal prison in Missouri?
The BOP operates a medical center in Springfield, Missouri. Many people from Missouri are designated to facilities in neighboring states, depending on security level, programming, and bed space.
How long after sentencing do you self-surrender?
It varies. The person is given a date after the BOP designates a facility, often several weeks after sentencing. The date is set by the court and must be followed exactly.
Does RDAP take a year off a federal sentence?
It can, for a person convicted of a nonviolent offense who completes the program, but the reduction is up to one year and the BOP decides eligibility. Not everyone who completes RDAP receives the full reduction.
Is there parole in the federal system?
No. Federal parole was abolished for offenses committed on or after November 1, 1987. Time is reduced through good conduct credit, First Step Act credits, and programs like RDAP.
See our federal criminal defense page, or call 573-638-8529.
Talk to us
Sentencing preparation includes what comes after.
Recommendations, the presentence report, and the surrender plan all matter. If someone you love is facing federal sentencing, call 573-638-8529.
Attorney advertising. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. This article is general information about federal sentences and the Bureau of Prisons as of October 2026, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. BOP policies change, and outcomes depend on individual facts.
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