DownTime - A Guide to Federal Incarceration

ORDER DownTime

DownTime - A Guide to Federal Incarceration ($49.95) is a 254 page perfect bound manual. This 9th edition of DownTime was completely rewritten in July 2007 and reflects the latest changes in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) policy and procedure. DownTime is written with three distinct audiences in mind:

professionals in the legal community who provide support and guidance to defendants, individuals facing incarceration, and the family members who support them.

DownTime will inform, educate and illustrate the challenges faced by men and women during incarceration in a BOP facility.
Nobody is prepared for incarceration. No matter what people say there is nothing comfortable about spending time in prison. Unfortunately more and more men and women are facing this challenge. DownTime is a guide. DownTime will help readers to overcome their lack of knowledge about incarceration.

The information in DownTime is designed to provide members of the legal community with an excellent source of reference. When properly used this information will allow these professionals to assist their clients through this difficult time. Legal professionals will be provided insight into a facet of the system that, until this time, they had not been exposed to.

DownTime also serves as an excellent reference for inmate's families. Although the primary focus of DownTime is on the inmate, several sections have been included specifically for inmate's family members. The family members of inmates certainly face their own frustrations. Getting processed for visits, communicating family emergencies and dealing with other support issues are all discussed in DownTime.

Nothing can completely alleviate the fear faced by men and women exposed to incarceration. Their only weapons are accurate information, and insight into what they are facing. DownTime helps. The information found in DownTime will assist inmates and their families through this difficult time.

Topics Covered in DownTime

DownTime is organized into eight chapters and three appendices. The sections within each chapter cover specific topics in detail. Each chapter, and the sections they contain, may be read individually. The last section of each chapter is dedicated to frequently asked questions about the material contained in that chapter.

DownTime is, for the most part, organized along chronological lines. Chapter One provides background information about the Bureau of Prisons. Chapters two through six deal with specific periods leading up to and including initial incarceration. Chapter seven deals with some specific areas of interest and Chapter eight addresses the period beginning with release from prison through the initiation of supervised release. Readers will find that the appendices of DownTime are an integral part of the book. They contain a wealth of useful information. A brief summary of each chapter follows:

Chapter 1 - The Bureau of Prisons
This chapter provides readers with facts and figures about Bureau of Prisons. Interesting demographic and statistical information covering both the inmate and staff populations of the Bureau of Prisons is included.

Chapter 2 - The Process
This chapter provides a brief review, in laymen's terms, of the entire Federal Criminal Justice process written from a defendant's point of view.

Chapter 3 - Before Incarceration
This chapter addresses the time between indictment and incarceration. Common oversights, and how to avoid them, are thoroughly addressed in this chapter.

Chapter 4 - Inmate Etiquette
This chapter addresses the unwritten rules and regulation of the general inmate population. A number of specific do's and don'ts are addressed.

Chapter 5 - Initial Custody
Arrival at the designated Federal Bureau of Prisons facility is reviewed in this chapter. The intake process is addressed step by step. This chapter focuses a great deal of attention upon the processes new inmates will experience during their first several hours of incarceration. This chapter contains information specifically helpful to defendants allowed to self surrender at a federal prison.

Chapter 6 - Admissions and Orientation
This chapter focuses on the two week Admissions and Orientation process that new inmates undergo. The orientation process, initial job assignment and the initial inmate classification are addressed in this chapter. The process of sentence computation is also reviewed.

Chapter 7 - The View From Within
This chapter takes an in depth look at prison life. Recreation, education, religious and social activities are explored in depth. Significant attention is focused upon the maintenance of normalcy during incarceration.

Chapter 8 - Release and Community Custody
In this chapter we address transition from incarceration back to the community. Halfway house and home confinement are discussed as well as the transition to Supervised Release (probation).

Appendices
Each of the three appendices to DownTime includes valuable reference information for readers.
Appendix A - Daily prison schedules
Appendix B - Inmate discipline
Appendix C - Glossary of prison terms

ORDER DownTime