Bureau of Prisons

As we complete our final edits on our book and prepare to publish in May, I selected two fellow inmates to be our first participants to read the final draft and work through the A Better Tomorrow (ABT) program—all 270 single-sided pages, including the appendix.

In early January 2026, GEO issued an internal memorandum announcing “Enhanced Electronic Monitoring Procedures” for all individuals in prerelease custody at Residential Reentry Centers (RRCs) operating under contract with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). According to the memorandum, these new procedures take effect January 12, 2026, and will remain in place through July 1, 2026, as part of what GEO describes as a pilot program to evaluate accountability and compliance with contr

A Better Tomorrow extends sincere kudos to BOP Director Marshall and Assistant Director Smith for their renewed focus and measurable progress toward proper implementation of the First Step Act (FSA) across the Bureau of Prisons. Over the past six months, I have personally observed a significant improvement in the accuracy of FSA Worksheets—particularly regarding projected placement dates—both in my own case and for many other incarcerated individuals.

At A Better Tomorrow (ABT) Community, we often hear from incarcerated individuals and their families who are hoping compassionate release might provide a path home when serious medical or family circumstances arise. While compassionate release can offer relief in limited situations, recent court decisions show that it remains difficult to obtain—especially when claims are based on inadequate medical care in federal prison.

At A Better Tomorrow (ABT) Community, we are dedicated to helping justice-impacted individuals prepare for a successful life after incarceration. We believe reentry success does not begin on release day — it begins during incarceration, continues through pre-release custody, and extends well into life after reentry.

In our first two blog posts, we explained the different types of time credits and how to calculate your reduced sentence using them. As we saw, these credits can produce meaningful reductions in incarceration time. In many cases, an inmate might serve 45–60% of their sentence in prison, 20–30% in prerelease custody, and receive a 15–25% total reduction in sentence length.

At A Better Tomorrow (ABT), we’re hopeful that newly appointed Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Billy Williams III and Assistant Director Joshua Smith will successfully lead a true transformation of the BOP — with the full support and guidance of Attorney General Pam Bondi. As ABT recently reported, Director Williams has already taken major steps toward full-scale implementation of the First Step Act (FSA) across wardens and their staff nationwide.