Family Resources

Practical starting points for families navigating federal custody.

Independent educational resource. Federal Custody Guide is not affiliated with the Federal Bureau of Prisons or any government agency. Verify important information with official BOP, court, and legal sources.

1. Find a person in federal custody

Use our homepage search for public BOP information by last name or BOP register number. Confirm important results with BOP.gov.

Search BOP records

2. Find an official BOP facility

Use the official BOP location directory for addresses, contact information, visiting information, and institution details.

Official BOP locations

3. Estimate a basic sentence timeline

Our educational estimator adds the sentence months you enter to a start date. It does not determine an official release date or calculate credits.

Open date estimator

4. Review Legal & FSA Updates

Read our educational legal/FSA update page, then confirm current rules and case status with primary official sources.

Legal & FSA updates

5. Official BOP resources

For authoritative federal prison policies, programs, contact information, and public guidance, go directly to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Visit BOP.gov

6. Understand the limits of this site

Review our legal disclaimer before relying on custody dates, credit information, eligibility discussions, or other educational material.

Read legal disclaimer

Federal Custody Guide • Independent educational resource • English & Español