Legal & First Step Act Updates
Plain-language federal custody information based on primary legal sources. Last verified October 3, 2026 against primary court and statutory sources.
First Step Act: consecutive-sentence “aggregation” issue
Federal law at 18 U.S.C. § 3632(d)(4) provides time credits for qualifying participation and lists convictions that make a prisoner ineligible to receive those credits. The Bonnie litigation challenges how that provision interacts with aggregated consecutive sentences.
Supreme Court status — last checked October 3, 2026: Bonnie v. Dunbar is docketed as No. 25-1363. The official docket shows the petition was distributed for the Court's September 28, 2026 conference. No later disposition is shown on the official docket as of this verification. A petition for review is not a Supreme Court ruling, so the challenged treatment should not be described as overturned.
Fourth Circuit published opinion · Supreme Court petition, No. 25-1363 · Official Supreme Court docket · 18 U.S.C. § 3632
FSA: sentencias consecutivas y “agregación”
Lo confirmado: En Bonnie v. Dunbar, el Cuarto Circuito confirmó la denegación del habeas corpus en noviembre de 2025. La mayoría trató las sentencias consecutivas como un término agregado para la cuestión disputada de elegibilidad de créditos FSA; el juez Wynn disintió.
La petición ante la Corte Suprema fue presentada como No. 25-1363 y el expediente oficial indica que fue distribuida para la conferencia del 28 de septiembre de 2026. Al momento de esta verificación no aparece una disposición posterior en el expediente. Una petición para revisión no significa que la Corte haya cambiado la ley o la política del BOP.
Current BOP FSA guidance: earning vs. applying credits
BOP's current First Step Act FAQ distinguishes between earning Federal Time Credits through qualifying assigned programming and applying earned credits toward prerelease custody or supervised release. Eligibility to earn, the amount earned, and whether credits can be applied are separate questions.
According to BOP's current guidance, eligible people may earn credits for successful participation in assigned evidence-based recidivism reduction programs or productive activities. Application of credits can depend on statutory requirements and recidivism-risk criteria; individual records and circumstances matter.
Useful official resources: BOP First Step Act FAQ · BOP FSA Overview · BOP Federal Time Credit Application Guide
Guía actual del BOP: ganar vs. aplicar créditos
La guía actual del BOP distingue entre ganar Créditos Federales de Tiempo mediante programas o actividades calificadas y aplicar esos créditos a custodia previa a la liberación o libertad supervisada. La elegibilidad para ganar créditos y la posibilidad de aplicarlos son preguntas distintas.
2026 BOP policy update: assessments, programming & incentives
On May 7, 2026, the Bureau of Prisons issued Program Statement 5405.01, First Step Act Assessments, Programming, and Incentives. It establishes current BOP guidance for criminogenic-needs assessments, programming, incentives, staff training, oversight, and institutional FSA interdisciplinary committees.
This policy should be read separately from Program Statement 5410.01 CN-2, which addresses procedures for implementing Federal Time Credits under 18 U.S.C. § 3632(d)(4). Keeping these policies separate helps families identify whether a question concerns assessment/program assignment or the calculation/application of time credits.
BOP Program Statement 5405.01 (May 7, 2026) · BOP Program Statement 5410.01 CN-2 · BOP FSA policies & resources
Actualización de política BOP 2026
El 7 de mayo de 2026, el BOP emitió el Program Statement 5405.01 sobre evaluaciones, programación e incentivos de la Ley First Step. Esta política es distinta del 5410.01 CN-2, que trata los procedimientos para los Créditos Federales de Tiempo. Separar ambas ayuda a identificar si una pregunta trata de evaluación/programación o del cálculo y aplicación de créditos.
Home confinement & conditional placement dates
BOP guidance says staff should distinguish First Step Act and Second Chance Act authority when planning prerelease placement. BOP has also instructed staff to use FSA/SCA conditional placement dates in prerelease planning for eligible individuals. A projected or conditional date is a planning tool; it should not be presented as a guaranteed transfer date.
BOP home-confinement directive · Federal Time Credit Application Guide
Confinamiento domiciliario y fechas condicionales
La guía del BOP indica que el personal debe distinguir entre la autoridad de la First Step Act y la Second Chance Act al planificar la colocación previa a la liberación. Una fecha proyectada o condicional sirve para planificación y no debe presentarse como una fecha de traslado garantizada.
28 U.S.C. § 2255: challenging a federal conviction or sentence
Section 2255 generally permits a person in federal custody to ask the sentencing court to vacate, set aside, or correct a sentence on specified grounds, including constitutional or federal-law violations, lack of jurisdiction, a sentence above the lawful maximum, or another basis for collateral attack.
Deadline warning: § 2255 contains a one-year limitations period, but the statute provides four possible starting points. The correct deadline depends on the facts of the individual case. Second or successive motions also face additional statutory restrictions.
Official text of 28 U.S.C. § 2255
28 U.S.C. § 2255
La sección 2255 permite, en determinadas circunstancias, que una persona bajo custodia federal solicite al tribunal que impuso la sentencia que la anule, deje sin efecto o corrija. Existe generalmente un período de limitación de un año, pero la ley establece cuatro posibles puntos de inicio. El plazo correcto depende de los hechos del caso.
How Federal Custody Guide verifies updates
Newsletters, family reports, social-media posts, and tips can identify issues worth investigating, but we do not present an allegation as established fact merely because it was reported. Legal-status statements should be checked against primary sources such as statutes, official court opinions and dockets, BOP/DOJ materials, and other government records.
For that reason, unverified medical-care allegations from individual institutions are not presented here as established findings.