Writ Large
Motions to vacate under § 2255, habeas petitions under § 2241 and § 2254, compassionate release, and First Step Act time credits — including the deadlines and procedural traps that end most filings before a judge reads them. If you are not sure which route applies to you, start at the topics index. Before anything is filed, all of our filing checklists cover the deadlines, fees and copies each route requires.
One write-up and his release date moved the wrong way. Which credits they can take, who may take them, and the restoration rule.
Read the post → Compassionate Release · § 3582 · October 20, 2026Serious illness is the center of federal compassionate release. The request to the warden, the 30 day clock, and the release plan most families leave out.
Read the post → Federal Prison News · Grievances and Administrative Remedies · October 16, 2026Someone told him to file a BP-9. The whole appeal chain in order, the deadlines in calendar days, what to write, and what to do if no answer comes.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2255 · October 15, 2026His lawyer never investigated or never told him about a plea offer. When that can undo a federal conviction, what must be proved, and the deadline.
Read the post → Federal Prison News · Release Dates and Time Credits · October 12, 2026He sat in county for months before his federal sentence and none of it shows. Who does that math, the rule that decides it, and what to send today.
Read the post → Federal Prison News · Release Dates and Time Credits · October 7, 2026His team says he's FSA ineligible. The rule turns on the counts on his judgment, and one count can block a whole sentence. How to check it this week.
Read the post → Federal Prison News · Release Dates and Time Credits · October 2, 2026The inmate locator date is real, but it isn't the day he walks out or the judge's number. Where it comes from, why it moves, and how to check it.
Read the post → Federal Prison News · Scams and Fraud · September 28, 2026A stranger says he can get your husband out early for a fee. How to tell in sixty seconds, what to do if you paid, and what really moves a release date.
Read the post → Federal Prison News · First Step Act · September 24, 2026Your husband finished the classes. The date on the locator is the same. Here is what is actually going on inside the computer that holds his date, what he can file this week, and the deadlines that decide whether anybody ever has to answer him.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · September 17, 2026Learn how to determine if the 1-year deadline has passed for your loved one's legal case.
Read the post → Federal Prison News · First Step Act · September 7, 2026Some convictions block First Step Act time credits no matter how many programs he finishes. The actual list of excluded offenses, in plain terms.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2254 · September 6, 2026A claim not raised at the right stage is usually lost for good. Martinez v. Ryan made one narrow exception, and it reaches less far than people think.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2254 · September 5, 2026Winning a § 2254 petition takes more than showing the state court got it wrong. The standard federal judges apply, and why it is so hard to meet.
Read the post → Compassionate Release · Supreme Court Update · September 4, 2026The Supreme Court's Fernandez decision says compassionate release can't be used to attack a conviction. Why, and what the right tool is instead.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2241 · September 3, 2026A § 2255 motion is usually the only way to challenge a federal conviction. When the narrow savings clause allows § 2241 instead, and when it doesn't.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2255 · September 2, 2026The § 2255 deadline is strict but not absolute. When prison mail delays can excuse a late filing, and the rule that sets the date he hands it to staff.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · September 2, 2026Learn about 2255 motion costs, self-filing options, and common challenges.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2254 · August 15, 2026State prisoners usually get one year to file federal habeas under § 2254, but the clock may start later than you think and can pause. How it works.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2255 · August 14, 2026Federal prisoners usually get one § 2255 motion. A second one needs an appeals court's permission before a district judge can even look at it.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2254 · August 13, 2026New evidence of innocence can sometimes reopen claims barred by default or the deadline. The standard is hard, and it works differently than people think.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2255 · August 12, 2026Losing a § 2255 or habeas case doesn't mean an automatic appeal. He needs a certificate of appealability first. What it is and how to get one.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2254 · August 11, 2026A federal court can refuse to hear a strong claim that wasn't raised the right way in state court first. How procedural default works, and ways around it.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2241 · August 9, 2026§ 2241 challenges how a federal sentence is carried out, not the sentence. When it applies, where to file, and how it differs from § 2255.
Read the post → Federal Prison News · BOP Policy · July 30, 2026In May 2026 the BOP said many people will move to a camp before halfway house or home confinement. Who qualifies, who doesn't, and what to expect.
Read the post → Federal Prison News · First Step Act · July 30, 2026Eligible federal prisoners earn 10 to 15 days of credit per 30 days of programs, but the BOP often gets it wrong. What the law says and how to fix it.
Read the post → Compassionate Release · Supreme Court Update · July 24, 2026The Supreme Court's 2026 Rutherford and Fernandez rulings narrowed what counts for compassionate release. What still works, and what doesn't.
Read the post → Post-Conviction · § 2255 · July 22, 2026A § 2255 motion challenges a federal conviction or sentence in the court that imposed it. What it covers, what it doesn't, and the one-year deadline.
Read the post →Grievances and administrative remedies, disciplinary hearings, medical care, mail and visitation, and documenting what happens to you — the day-to-day record-building that matters long before any filing.
Two routes for damages after harm in federal prison, and recent Supreme Court rulings nearly closed one. What each is, and which one still works.
Read the post → Grievances & Exhaustion · July 30, 2026A grievance filed the wrong way can end a federal case before a judge reads it. Five common mistakes that sink otherwise strong cases.
Read the post → Know Your Rights · July 30, 2026Legal mail has protection ordinary mail doesn't, but only if it's marked right and opened in front of him. What the law requires and what to do.
Read the post → Know Your Rights · July 30, 2026Cell searches get little Fourth Amendment protection, but that isn't the whole story. When a search crosses into retaliation or harassment.
Read the post → Know Your Rights · July 30, 2026No federal law caps solitary confinement, but courts do look hard at long isolation. What matters, and how a due process or Eighth Amendment claim is built.
Read the post → Grievances & Exhaustion · July 30, 2026Punishment for filing a grievance is its own legal claim, separate from the original complaint. What has to be shown, and how to build the record.
Read the post → Know Your Rights · July 30, 2026Recording devices are almost never allowed inside. What written notes can do instead, and why a same-day note often holds up better.
Read the post → Know Your Rights · July 30, 2026Prison staff can't hand out discipline with no limits. When a wrongful write-up supports a due process or retaliation claim, and when it doesn't.
Read the post → Medical Neglect · July 30, 2026The Eighth Amendment guarantees medical care, not a set response time. What deliberate indifference requires, and how records make or break the claim.
Read the post → Excessive Force · July 30, 2026Use of force incidents are fast and chaotic. How to build a written record of dates, names, and injuries that can actually support a claim.
Read the post → Grievances & Exhaustion · July 30, 2026Strong cases fall apart when nobody wrote anything down. A practical way to save dates, names, and records before memory and video are gone.
Read the post → Grievances & Exhaustion · July 30, 2026Vague wording is a top reason grievances get denied. How to describe an injury with the detail reviewers and courts expect.
Read the post → Medical Neglect · July 30, 2026A dated paper trail can turn a vague complaint into a real Eighth Amendment claim. How to request medical records from inside, and why it matters.
Read the post → Medical Neglect · July 30, 2026The same standard that covers physical medical care covers mental health treatment behind bars. What it requires, and how it plays out.
Read the post → Grievances & Exhaustion · July 30, 2026A high bunk count alone rarely wins an overcrowding claim. What courts actually weigh, and how conditions-of-confinement claims get built.
Read the post → PREA / Abuse Reporting · July 30, 2026The Prison Rape Elimination Act sets rules for reporting and investigating abuse. What PREA protects, how to report, and what to write down.
Read the post → Grievances & Exhaustion · July 30, 2026Retaliation rarely comes with a note attached. How to build a timeline connecting protected conduct to adverse action before you need it in front of a court.
Read the post → Grievances & Exhaustion · July 30, 2026Finishing the grievance process is a step, not the finish line. What exhaustion does, and what comes next if he's thinking about a federal claim.
Read the post → Know Your Rights · July 30, 2026A disciplinary hearing isn't a criminal trial, but he still has due process rights under Wolff v. McDonnell. What he's entitled to, and what he isn't.
Read the post → Civil Rights · § 1983 · July 30, 2026When the same problem hits a whole unit, like bad water or short staffing, a class action can work better than many single cases. How to tell if it fits.
Read the post → Civil Rights · § 1983 · July 30, 2026Section 1983 is how people sue state officials for violating their constitutional rights. What it actually covers, and what it doesn't.
Read the post → Civil Rights · § 1983 · July 30, 2026You can be right about what the guard did and still lose. Qualified immunity is the most common reason. What it is, and what gets around it.
Read the post → Grievances & Exhaustion · July 30, 2026No answer isn't the same as finishing the process, and courts expect certain steps when a grievance disappears. What to do and what to document.
Read the post → Referral Network · July 30, 2026Handling it alone first isn't always safest. When jail or prison conditions are worth bringing to an attorney, and how to know before it's too late.
Read the post → Know Your Rights · July 30, 2026Visitation isn't unlimited, but facilities can't cut it off without any legal boundary. What courts look at when visitation restrictions get challenged.
Read the post → Religious Rights · July 30, 2026RLUIPA requires a strong reason to restrict religious practice in custody. What 'compelling interest' and 'least restrictive means' mean in practice.
Read the post → Know Your Rights · July 30, 2026Ordinary mail gets less protection than legal mail, but a facility still needs a reason to restrict it. What the law allows, and what crosses the line.
Read the post → Medical Care · Bivens & FTCA · July 23, 2026Deliberate indifference and negligence are different claims. Bivens is nearly closed to federal prisoners, but FTCA negligence claims still work.
Read the post →