Reviewed against 18 U.S.C. § 3624(c) and (g) and BOP Program Statement 7310.04. Last updated .
Why show a band instead of a single halfway-house date?
Because three different things have to line up: statutory eligibility (computable), the Unit Team's recommended length (discretionary), and a contracted bed near the release residence (capacity-bound). The calculator computes the first exactly, states its assumption for the second, and draws the third from regional placement patterns — labeled as the estimate it is. The paper trail for improving the outcome runs through the RRC referral process.
Frequently asked questions
How early can someone go to a halfway house?
Under the Second Chance Act, up to 12 months before release. With applied First Step Act credits, eligible people can go earlier — there's no statutory cap on credits applied to prerelease custody — subject to circuit law on stacking and, always, bed space.
Who decides the actual halfway house date?
The Unit Team recommends, the warden refers, and the Residential Reentry Management office sets the bed date. Each step can be advocated in writing; the calculator's ledger is built to attach to exactly that kind of request.
Why did the halfway house date slip after it was set?
Usually bed capacity at the destination RRC, sometimes a new disciplinary finding or a detainer surfacing. Slips driven by paperwork errors — a lifted detainer still flagged, credits not applied — are challengeable through the remedy process.
Primary sources
Everything on this page is drawn from the statutes, regulations, and BOP program statements below — read them directly:
Keep reading
Estimates, not promises
This page describes federal law and Bureau of Prisons policy in general terms for education. It is not legal advice, it doesn't account for the facts of any individual case, and no attorney–client relationship is created by reading it. The BOP makes all final release-date determinations. Have an attorney review anything before you file it. Built by OutDate, the federal release date calculator.