Methodology

This report is based on over five dozen in-person and telephone interviews with current and former Bureau of Prison officials, federal prisoners, family members, lawyers, advocates, and former Department of Justice officials, as well as extensive email and written correspondence with an additional two dozen prisoners. We also reviewed official BOP documents pertaining to the efforts of dozens of individual prisoners to receive compassionate release. In addition, much of the information and perspective reflected in this report comes from the many years Families Against Mandatory Minimums has spent working to secure reform of the Bureau of Prison’s compassionate release practices.

The report contains specific data the Bureau of Prisons provided in response to our questions about its compassionate release program. In addition, the Bureau permitted Jamie Fellner to visit the Federal Medical Facility at Butner, North Carolina to interview prisoners there, as well as the warden and other BOP staff at the facility. The report also includes the results of our research into the legislative history of the statutory provision authorizing sentence reduction for extraordinary and compelling reasons.