November 13, 2017 Update on Halfway House Closures

As many in the federal prison community are aware, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been quietly terminating contracts with certain Residential Re-entry Centers, commonly known as Halfway Houses. We have been trying to get to the bottom of this since we first heard about late last month. We have obtained a list of those Halfway Houses being closed. There are 16 with a total bed space of between 277 and 300 for federal inmates. In response to inquiries by interested parties and public interest groups, the Bureau of Prisons stated unequivocally that the closures would only affect approximately 1% of the federal prison population. However, we have been getting calls from a great number of clients, concerned family members and even halfway houses themselves and started to believe that the closures had to affect more than 1% of the federal prison population. What we have learned that as a general matter of policy, the Bureau is “reducing its use of Residential Reentry Centers without explanation or advance notice to those most affected.” (Letter dated October 26, 2017 from the US Senate to the BOP.) In other words, substantially more than 1% of federal inmates are having their halfway house time either reduced or eliminated altogether with many federal inmates staying in prison longer and not receiving the transitional services that many so dearly need. National Prison & Sentencing Consultants continues to investigate this fluid situation and its clients concerns and inquiries. If you have any questions or may need or assistance, please contact us at [email protected] or at 615-696-6153