The Rules Have Been Made Clear
Billy Marshall, the new director of the federal prison system, has put the hammer down on unit teams across the country.
For context: on May 28, 2025, Marshall issued guidance saying that the BOP would now honor the conditional release dates for both the FSA, then the SCA.
Later that day, new guidance was issued internally, not necessarily from Marshall, that conflicted the public-facing memo, stating not to give out SCA if the inmate had more than a year of FSA credits towards the halfway house.
Now, it’s official, and we leaked it yesterday on our website, Instagram, and Tiktok. As of June 18th, Billy Marshall has now issued a new directive to set the record straight. First, FSA earned time credits and SCA eligibility will be treated as cumulative and stackable, allowing qualified individuals to serve a large portion of their sentence on home confinement when appropriate.
Conditional placement dates based on projected credit, accrual and statutory timelines will drive timely referrals, not “bureaucratic inertia.”
Stable housing and community reintegration readiness, not past employment, will guide placement decisions. RRC bed capacity limitations will not be a barrier to home confinement, as was said before.
It’s official. Stacking SCA on top of FSA is BOP guidance in black and white. The days of unit teams and case managers playing fast and loose with the rules is coming to an end. Unfortunately, as with any changes where inmates reap the benefits, we’re sure to see resistance to these rules in the short term. When you or your loved is in prison longer than they should be because those in charge aren’t following the rules, we’re here to help.