How can a federal inmate at FPC Bryan reduce their sentence?

The primary path to sentence reduction in the federal system is RDAP, the Residential Drug Abuse Program. It is the most significant formal sentence reduction opportunity available through the Bureau of Prisons and understanding how it works is the first step toward pursuing it.

RDAP is a nine-month residential treatment program for inmates with a documented history of substance abuse. Completing the program earns a sentence reduction of up to 12 months for most inmates. For sentences of 24 months or less the reduction is up to nine months rather than the full twelve. On an 18-month sentence, the nine-month reduction is the applicable figure, which, combined with the standard 85 percent rule creates a meaningful difference in actual time served.

The 85 percent rule means your sister will serve approximately 15.3 months of her 18-month sentence without any additional reductions. With RDAP completion, that number comes down substantially.

The critical detail about RDAP is that preparation matters. The program has eligibility requirements centered on documented substance abuse history and that documentation needs to be in order before or shortly after arrival. Inmates who have not prepared their paperwork or whose substance abuse history is not clearly documented in their records can find it difficult to qualify, even if the history is real. Getting that documentation together and submitted to the case manager at FPC Bryan as early as possible in the sentence is the most important immediate step.

Beyond RDAP, First Step Act earned time credits can be accumulated through participation in approved programming and productive activities throughout the sentence. Those credits can move an inmate toward prerelease custody or home confinement earlier than the projected release date, which functions as an additional practical reduction on top of standard good time.