RESOURCES

Every guide, in one place

30 plain-language guides covering the federal system from a target letter through coming home. Search by what you're facing, or browse a stage below.

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STAGE 1 · YOU'VE BEEN NOTIFIED

The Target Letter

A federal target letter, or the sense that you are under investigation, can make the floor drop out from under you. Here is what it means in plain language, what it does not mean, and the first steps that protect you and the people who love you.

Stage overview

The Target Letter (start here)

You've been notified or you're under investigation. What a federal target letter means, the first moves to make, and how to steady yourself and your family.

How to Choose a Federal Criminal Defense Attorney

A federal case runs on its own rules and sentencing math. Here is how to vet a federal criminal defense attorney, what federal experience really means, and the red flags to watch for.

What a Federal Target Letter Means (and the First 72 Hours)

A federal target letter means prosecutors consider you a target of a grand jury investigation. Here is what it is, what it is not, and exactly what to do first.

Plea vs. Trial: What It Means and Why It Matters

A straight-forward comparison of going to trial or taking a plea agreement in federal court, what each path means, timelines, conviction rates, and how to think about the choice.

Understanding Your Federal Charges

Plain language on federal crimes, how federal charges are different from state charges, what 'conspiracy' actually means, and how to read your charging paperwork.

STAGE 2: CHARGES TO SENTENCING

Pre-Trial

The stretch between being charged and the day you are sentenced holds the decisions that shape everything after. This is the plain-language map of that road, written for you and the people standing beside you.

Stage overview

Pre-Trial (start here)

From federal charges to a plea or trial to sentencing day: a plain-language guide to the PSR, the guidelines, and how federal sentencing really works for women.

Federal Sentencing Guidelines, Explained (in Plain English)

The federal sentencing guidelines set an advisory range from your offense level and criminal history. Here's how that number is built, in plain English, and where you can still move it.

The Presentence Report and the Interview (PSI), Explained

The presentence interview and the report it produces shape your sentence, where BOP sends you, and your years on supervised release. Here is how to prepare.

Character Reference Letters That Actually Help

What a judge actually reads in a character letter, what makes a letter land versus feel generic, how to gather them, common mistakes, and a practical template.

Sentence Mitigation: What to Prepare and Present

What mitigation actually means at sentencing, what judges listen to, how to prepare family history and medical evidence, and honest talk about what works.

What Sentencing Day Is Like: Emotional and Practical Prep

An hour-by-hour walkthrough of what happens on federal sentencing day, what to wear, how the proceeding flows, what you say and do not say, and what happens after.

STAGE 3 · DESIGNATION TO SELF-SURRENDER

Getting Ready to Go Away

The weeks between sentencing and your report date are the hardest, and the most useful. This is the plain-language map of everything to handle before you go: designation, self-surrender day, money, phones, your kids, your health, and your peace of mind.

Stage overview

Getting Ready to Go Away (start here)

From designation to self-surrender: what to handle before you report to a women's federal prison, for you and the family walking beside you.

How BOP Designation Works for Women (and How to Advocate for a Facility Near Home)

You do not choose your prison, but you can advocate for one near home. How BOP designation and security scoring work for women, and how to make your case.

Commissary and Money: How to Put Money on Her Books, and What It Really Costs

How the federal prison commissary works, how to put money on her books, what phone and email cost, and how to correct the misinformation about all of it.

Self-Surrender Day for Women, Step by Step (and What to Bring)

Self-surrender to federal prison, walked through calmly for women: what the day looks like hour by hour, what to bring, what to leave home, and how to steady yourself and your family.

RDAP and First Step Act Credits for Women: Eligibility and the Real Math

RDAP and First Step Act credits can take real months off a federal sentence. Here is who qualifies, what the PATTERN score is, and how the credits actually apply.

Pregnant and Facing Federal Prison: MINT, Prenatal Care, and the Shackling Ban

Pregnant and heading to federal prison? Here is what the MINT program is, the prenatal care BOP policy promises, and the federal law that bans shackling.

Women's Health Inside: OB-GYN, Menstrual Products, and the Menopause Gap

Women's health in federal prison: the OB-GYN care BOP policy promises, the free-menstrual-products law, and the honest gap where menopause goes unaddressed.

Medical Intake and Continuing Your Healthcare

What happens during health screening at intake, gynecological exams and witness rights, medication continuity, mental health assessment, and advocating for your healthcare inside.

Visitation Rules and Planning

How to get on the visitor list, pre-approval timelines, what ID to bring, facility visit schedules, video visitation, and what to expect during a prison visit.

PREA and Your Right to Safety: Reporting Abuse and Retaliation

What PREA is, zero-tolerance policy, your right to report sexual assault or harassment, confidential reporting hotlines, retaliation protections, and honest talk about system failures.

Phone, CorrLinks, and Mail: Staying Connected

How federal prison phones work, CorrLinks email basics, mail rules, tips for staying connected without triggering isolation, and family budgeting for communication costs.

Preparing Your Children: Age-Appropriate Talk

How to tell kids of different ages where you are going and why, managing their emotions, addressing shame, single-mother considerations, and staying connected while inside.

What to Bring (and What Not to Bring)

A complete packing guide for self-surrender: ID, medications, approved clothing, commissary seeding, religious items, hygiene products, what is contraband, and facility-specific variations.

STAGE 4 · HALFWAY HOUSE TO HOME

Reentry

The last stretch is its own journey. Federal prison reentry for women moves from a halfway house or home confinement, through supervised release, into the slow, real work of rebuilding at home. Here is what each phase looks like and where to get the next concrete step.

Stage overview

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Every guide, in one place

The Target Letter

The Target Letter (start here)

How to Choose a Federal Criminal Defense Attorney

What a Federal Target Letter Means (and the First 72 Hours)

Plea vs. Trial: What It Means and Why It Matters

Understanding Your Federal Charges

Pre-Trial

Pre-Trial (start here)

Federal Sentencing Guidelines, Explained (in Plain English)

The Presentence Report and the Interview (PSI), Explained

Character Reference Letters That Actually Help

Sentence Mitigation: What to Prepare and Present

What Sentencing Day Is Like: Emotional and Practical Prep

Getting Ready to Go Away

Getting Ready to Go Away (start here)

How BOP Designation Works for Women (and How to Advocate for a Facility Near Home)

Commissary and Money: How to Put Money on Her Books, and What It Really Costs

Self-Surrender Day for Women, Step by Step (and What to Bring)

RDAP and First Step Act Credits for Women: Eligibility and the Real Math

Pregnant and Facing Federal Prison: MINT, Prenatal Care, and the Shackling Ban

Women's Health Inside: OB-GYN, Menstrual Products, and the Menopause Gap

Medical Intake and Continuing Your Healthcare

Visitation Rules and Planning

PREA and Your Right to Safety: Reporting Abuse and Retaliation

Phone, CorrLinks, and Mail: Staying Connected

Preparing Your Children: Age-Appropriate Talk

What to Bring (and What Not to Bring)

Reentry

Reentry (start here)

Halfway House and Home Confinement: The Rules, and What to Expect

Employment With a Federal Record: Where Doors Are Open

The First Weeks Home: Practical and Emotional Landing

Record Relief and Expungement: What's Actually Possible

Supervised Release and Your Probation Officer