So, what is a Federal Detention Center as opposed to a Federal Prison?
Federal detention centers are where some defendants are housed on federal charges prior to going to federal court.
If you’ve been picked up by the DEA or FBI and don’t make bond or aren’t given a bond, you’ll wait for your day in court in a county jail, or, if you’re in a major metropolitan area, a federal detention center (FDC) or a metropolitan detention center (MDC).
Some federal detention centers, like the one seen in the video above in Philadelphia, do offer programming under the Bureau of Prisons. But, as the First Step Act (FSA) is written, you won’t actually receive FSA credit until you have been sentenced.
But, if you’ve been sentenced and you’re waiting for placement by the Bureau of Prisons in an FDC or an MDC, you can participate in this programming and receive FSA credit.
Sometimes, people with short sentences will simply stay at one of these facilities if their credit for time served before court makes relocation to a BOP facility impractical.