Self-Surrender Checklist: Documents to Bring

A sad reality that some new prisoners face when they self-surrender to federal prison is that prison administrators aren’t ready to receive them. What I mean by this is that although the individual received a notice from the U.S. Marshal Service or from the Bureau of Prisons with instructions on where to self-surrender, authorities do not always complete their duties by ensuring that administrators in the prison have all of the necessary paperwork to process the new prisoner. It’s better to know this remote possibility going in, I think.

On the unfortunate occasions when authorities in the prison lack the necessary paperwork for intake processing, they admit the new prisoner directly into THE SPECIAL HOUSING UNIT.

I’ve written about the Special Housing Unit (SHU) in another section of the checklist and I urge readers to review the article. Placement in the SHU isn’t the end of the world, but it can be unsettling for new prisoners. They will understand that they should take steps to avoid placement in the SHU, otherwise known as the hole. The worst thing, I think, is the unknown. That’s why I try to help other prisoners understand the possibilities that await them.

One of the ways that an individual may lessen the likelihood of placement in the SHU upon arrival to a federal prison is to bring legal documents with him. Or better yet, an individual may request his defense attorney to confirm with the Marshall Service and the prison authorities that all documents are in order before the prisoner self-surrenders.

As a precaution, the prisoner may request his defense attorney to provide him with a copy of the presentence investigation report (PSI) and the judgment and commitment order (J&C). Prison authorities will not allow the prisoner to keep his PSI with him once he enters the prison, but at least the two documents will provide the prison administrators who complete the intake process with the information they’re looking to confirm. At least that is the hope.

Specifically, the prison authorities want confirmation that the prisoner self-surrendering is appropriate for minimum-security camp placement. They want to ensure that the new prisoner doesn’t have a history of violence or other behavior that may be inappropriate for camp placement. They also want to make sure the new prisoner is an American citizen.

To that end, foreign nationals or people who became naturalized citizens may want to bring documents that confirm their immigration status.

Other documents that may prove helpful to bring include proof of high school diploma (or GED). If the PSI does not confirm high school graduation, prison administrators will subject the individual to patronizing classroom attendance in the GED program.

Any medical documents that confirm a prisoner’s needs for medical treatment will also prove helpful to the individual self surrendering.

Finally, the individual should write down important names, addresses, and phone numbers on one of the documents that he brings inside. That way he won’t have any trouble filling necessary paperwork for permission to keep in touch.

The most important documents to bring when self surrendering to federal prison, however, are documents that are necessary in order for administrators to process self-surrenering prisoners into the camp’s general population. I urge new prisoners to have their attorneys confirm with authorities that all paperwork is in order before the self-surrender date. Those who do not have paperwork in order begin their time in the SHU. That struggle is left best unvisited.

On the other hand, if authorities lock a new prisoner in the SHU, I urge the individual to keep spirits up. The time in the SHU may last a few days or a few weeks, but the person can take comfort in knowing better days lie ahead. It’s such a spirit that has carried me through more than 23 years in prisons of every security level. I describe all of that in books I’ve written.

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