# The BOP's rulebook. Read it before they quote it at you.

The Bureau (the federal Bureau of Prisons) runs on program statements: internal policy manuals covering everything from how your sentence gets computed to who's allowed to visit. Staff cite them constantly. Almost nobody on the receiving end has read one. They're public documents, free on bop.gov, written in a dialect I'll call Federal.

Each one below gets its own page: official text, official link, and the passages that matter run through with a highlighter. Tap a highlight and the translation into regular talk appears right next to the exact sentence. The untranslated parts stay too, because sometimes Federal is self-explanatory and sometimes you need to cite it back at staff verbatim.

Program statements get revised. The official copy on bop.gov controls, always. If my copy and theirs disagree, theirs wins and mine gets updated.

- [PS 5265.13 TRULINCS: Electronic MessagingEmail on the inside: contacts, approval, monitoring, and the sentence about subpoenas nobody has read. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5265-13-trulincs-electronic-messaging)
- [PS 5880.28 Sentence Computation ManualHow the number the judge said becomes the number of days actually served. Calculator](/resources/time-calculator)
- [PS 5100.08 Security Designation & Custody ClassificationThe scoresheet that decides where you go, and why nobody can sell you a destination. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5100-08-inmate-security-designation-and-custody-classification)
- [PS 1330.18 Administrative Remedy ProgramThe BP-8 to BP-11 grievance ladder, the 20-day clock, and why exhaustion matters. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/1330-18-administrative-remedy-program)
- [PS 4500.13 Trust Fund / Deposit Fund ManualMoney in, the $460 cap, commissary, phones, and the deposits that bounce. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/4500-13-trust-fund-deposit-fund-manual)
- [PS 1315.08 Inmate Legal ActivitiesThe electronic law library, e-discovery access, and legal work from the SHU. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/1315-08-inmate-legal-activities)
- [PS 4700.08 Food Service ManualThe national menu, religious and medical diets, and what mealtime actually is. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/4700-08-food-service-manual)
- [PS 5200.06 Management of Inmates With DisabilitiesAccommodations are a right, not a favor, and the paper trail when they're denied. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5200-06-management-of-inmates-with-disabilities)
- [PS 1480.06 Multimedia CommunicationsPress interviews, book projects, and who controls an inmate's image and voice. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/1480-06-multimedia-communications)
- [PS 2011.12 Cost of Incarceration FeeThe fee for being locked up, how it's paid, and the debt that follows release. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/2011-12-accounting-for-the-cost-of-incarceration-fee)
- [PS 5217.02 Special Management UnitsThe deep end of the system: who goes, the process, and the ladder back out. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5217-02-special-management-units)
- [PS 5260.01 Management of Inmates with Gender DysphoriaThe 2026 policy, and the injunction ordering the BOP to keep doing the opposite. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5260-01-management-of-inmates-with-gender-dysphoria)
- [PS 5266.11 Incoming PublicationsGetting books and magazines inside: the hardcover rule, rejections, and appeals. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5266-11-incoming-publications)
- [PS 5267.09 Visiting RegulationsThe visiting list, the four-hour minimum, the front lobby, and the 2023 change notice. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5267-09-visiting-regulations)
- [PS 5265.14 CorrespondencePostal mail: general vs. special mail, what gets rejected, and where legal privilege actually lives. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5265-14-correspondence)
- [PS 5330.11 Psychology Treatment Programs (RDAP)The year-off program, and why "coaching" your way in is a new felony, not a shortcut. Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5330-11-psychology-treatment-programs-rdap)
- [PS 5050.50 Compassionate Release / Reduction in SentenceThe real criteria, the referral packet, and the 30-day clock. Read this before buying anyone's "packet." Annotated](/resources/program-statements/5050-50-compassionate-release-reduction-in-sentence)

Want one added, or a section highlighted? [Ask.](mailto:josh@federalprisondude.com?subject=Program%20statement%20request) It's the free lane. That's what it's for.

**Need help with this? Just ask.**

These pages cover the general rules. Your situation has details they don't. Email me a question. **Answers are free** , and "you don't need to pay anyone for this" is my most common answer.

[josh@federalprisondude.com](mailto:josh@federalprisondude.com)

I answer in the order received, usually within a couple of days. I have a day job. If your situation genuinely needs more than an email, I take a limited number of consults, so say so and we'll work it out.