Why the BOP Cut Halfway House Time in 2017: Two Internal Memos

In late 2017, many people in federal prison saw their halfway house time cut, delayed or canceled. Two internal memos from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) explain why: budget limits and crowded halfway houses. The BOP expected average stays to fall to about 120-125 days.

Update (October 2026): This post covers events in late 2017. Halfway house policy has changed since then, including under the First Step Act of 2018. Ask your case manager about current placement rules.

We wrote earlier about the BOP's decision to close several halfway houses. A halfway house, which the BOP calls a Residential Reentry Center (RRC), is a place where people finish their sentence in the community before release.

The October 10, 2017 memo

On October 10, 2017, Hugh Hurwitz, Acting Assistant Director of the BOP's Reentry Services Division, issued a memo called "Residential Reentry Center Operations."

The memo says the BOP ended "sixteen RRC contracts that were underutilized." It says those cuts "affect 145 beds or about 1% of the total bed space."

That reason does not match what the BOP said elsewhere. For example, the BOP told reporters in New York that a Buffalo halfway house closed because it did not meet the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

The memo also shows the BOP planned to limit halfway house stays going forward:

• The BOP wanted to bring "all RRC contracts into compliance with their contracted operating capacity." The memo says "[m]any RRCs are operating above the population limits specified in their contracts."
• So the BOP was "delaying some new placements or adjusting placements until populations in those facilities decrease to within contract limits."
• The average stay had grown to about 145 days. Because of budget limits and the contract changes, the memo said the average stay "is likely to decline to about 120-125 days."

Read the memo here: October 10, 2017 - BOP Halfway House Memorandum

The October 27, 2017 memo from FCC Coleman

The second memo came from the Federal Correctional Complex in Coleman, Florida. It backs up much of what the Hurwitz memo says. It states:

Beginning approximately two weeks ago, Residential Reentry Placements have been reduced, removed, and/or temporarily suspended for some Inmates with previously established placement dates. Unless your unit team provides you with a specific reason as to why this actions was taken, for example negative institutional conduct, release planning issues, etc., these decisions are being made by the Residential Reentry Management offices providing oversight to the halfway houses.

The Residential Reentry Management Branch (RRMB) has stated the reason for the above changes in placement dates is due to fiscal constraints and overcrowding at the contracted halfway houses. Due to these above issues, inmates should expect to see average length of placements to fall within 120-125 days. The RRMB continues to carefully examine all cases to ensure compliance with the Second Chance Act and to ensure that inmates who are participating in the Residential Drug Abuse Program receive the required amount of community based treatment to remain eligible for any early release benefit granted under 18 USC 3621(e).

Read the memo here: FCC Coleman October 27, 2017 - Federal Halfway House Memo

Congress looks into the cuts

On December 13, 2017, the House Oversight Committee held a 10 a.m. hearing to address the BOP's halfway house closings. The hearing was called "Oversight of the Bureau of Prisons and Inmate Reentry." Read our recap of the hearing.

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