Multimedia Communications

PS 1480.06 (6/22/2026) · Official PDF on bop.gov →

The media policy, freshly rewritten for the social-media era (it used to be called "News Media Contacts"). Most of the document is the Bureau's own PR machinery. The parts annotated here are the ones that matter to you: how a reporter gets an interview with someone inside, the path for a book project, and the rights an inmate keeps over their own face and voice. If a journalist ever comes calling about your loved one's case, read this first.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES (EXCERPT)

Program Statement Rescinded: 1480.05 News Media Contacts (9/21/2000)

Changes: This reissued policy provides updated guidance on news media engagement with the Bureau of Prisons (Bureau), introduces new standards for multimedia production and dissemination, and incorporates expanded direction on the use of external websites and applications, including social media, to support effective communication with stakeholders and the broader public.

Updates the program statement title from “News Media Contacts” to “Multimedia Communications.”

Removes references to the union’s role in representing bargaining unit staff.

Removes a reference to Resolution 22, Department of Justice (DOJ) (8/3/1998).

Provides additional clarity for how members of the news media must request an institutional visit or personal interview.

Removes references to BOPDOCS.

Provides clarity regarding the permission of news media to use film or photography during institutional visits.

Provides clarity regarding inmates not being employed or acting as reporters.

Defines a personal interview.

Provides clarity regarding who has the final authority to grant or deny interview requests.

Provides clarity on existing policy-based reasons to deny an interview request.

Clarifies responsibilities regarding denial of interview requests.

Provides clarity regarding auditory supervision of personal interviews.

Provides clarity regarding access to institutional property by members of the news media.

§ 540.62 INSTITUTIONAL VISITS (EXCERPT)

(b) When media representatives visit the institutions, photographs of programs and activities may be taken, and media representatives may meet with groups of inmates engaged in authorized programs and activities. An inmate has the right not to be photographed and not to have his or her voice recorded by the media. A visiting representative of the media is required to obtain written permission from an inmate before photographing or recording the voice of an inmate participating in authorized programs and activities.

Permission to film or take photographs will be at the discretion of the Warden.

Use of the inmate's name, identifiable photographs, or voice recording is not recommended.

The BP-A0233, News Interview Authorization form must be used by the media when making a request for interviews, photographs, voice recordings, and appointments for institution visits with inmates.

The original copy of the BP-A0233, News Interview Authorization form is to be placed in the inmate’s central file, and a copy is to be sent to the media representative making the request.

(c) The Warden may suspend all media visits during an institutional emergency and for a reasonable time after the emergency.

Specifically, the Warden may suspend media visits if the continued presence would endanger the health or safety of the visitor(s), or if the visitor(s)’ continued presence would disturb the good order of the institution and/or likely cause serious unrest.

(d) An inmate currently confined in an institution may not be employed or act as a reporter.

This includes all inmates who are in the custody and care of the Bureau, including inmates in community confinement. Inmates may not receive compensation for their correspondence with representatives of the news media.

(e) Interviews by reporters and others not included in § 540.2 may be permitted only by special arrangement and with approval of the Warden.

The Warden may approve institutional visits and interviews requested by writers for the purpose of writing a book.

Such approval is contingent upon the writer: Submitting verification of their previously published book(s); or Submitting a letter from a recognized publishing company that indicates the publisher’s contractual support of the book.

§ 540.63 PERSONAL INTERVIEWS (EXCERPT)

Interview requests must be submitted to the designated PIO at the correctional institution or RRM office where the inmate is assigned.

(d) Staff shall notify an inmate of each interview request, and shall, as a prerequisite, obtain from the inmate written consent for the interview prior to the interview taking place. The written consent or denial becomes part of the inmate's central file.

The inmate who agrees to an interview must complete the BP-A0233, News Interview Authorization form.

(e) As a prerequisite to granting the interview, an inmate must authorize the institutional staff to respond to comments made in the interview and to release information to the news media relative to the inmate's comments.

(f) The Warden shall normally approve or disapprove an interview request within 24 to 48 hours of the request.

The decision-making authority for granting or denying official interview requests or visits in Bureau institutions or Residential Reentry Centers (RRC) resides solely with an institution's Warden or the Residential Reentry Manager. The Warden or Residential Reentry Manager of a facility has the authority to approve, deny, or approve an interview with modifications to the original request. They are responsible for assessing issues related to each request on a case-by-case basis and their decision is final.

(g) The Warden shall document any disapproval. A request for interview may be denied for any of the following reasons.

(1) The news media representative, or the news organization which he or she represents, does not agree to the conditions established by this subpart or has, in the past, failed to abide by the required conditions.

(2) The inmate is physically or mentally unable to participate. This must be supported by a medical officer's statement (a psychologist may be used to verify mental incapacity) to be placed in the inmate's record, substantiating the reason for disapproval.

(3) The inmate is a juvenile (under age 18) and written consent has not been obtained from the inmate's parent or guardian. If the juvenile inmate's parents or guardians are not known or their addresses are not known, the Warden of the institution shall notify the representative of the news media of the inmate's status as a juvenile, and shall then consider the request.

(4) The interview, in the opinion of the Warden, would endanger the health or safety of the interviewer, or would probably cause serious unrest or disturb the good order of the institution.

(5) The inmate is involved in a pending court action and the court having jurisdiction has issued an order forbidding such interviews.

(6) In the case of unconvicted persons (including competency commitments under 18 U.S.C. 4244 and 4246) held in federal institutions, interviews are not authorized until there is clearance with the court having jurisdiction, ordinarily through the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In some districts there may be a standing authorization for interviews, in the absence of individual “gag orders,” but in other districts all pretrial inmates may need to be cleared upon request for interviews as the court having jurisdiction may have issued an order limiting or forbidding interviews. The appropriate U.S. Attorney’s Office must be contacted to determine whether such an order is in force or if there are any objections to this inmate participating in a media interview.

(7) The inmate is a “protection” case and revelation of his or her whereabouts would endanger the inmate's safety.

(8) In the opinion of the Warden, the interview may portray the agency or institution as endorsing or glorifying an inmate’s view or crime (e.g., providing notoriety, revictimization of victims).

(h) Interviews are normally held in the institution visiting room during normal weekday business hours. The Warden may:

(1) Determine that another location is more suitable for conducting the interview;

(2) Limit interview time for the entire institution if the Warden determines that the interviews are imposing a serious drain on staff or use of the facilities;

(3) Limit to one one-hour interview per month for an inmate in segregation, restricted, holdover, control unit, or hospital status if required by special security, custodial, or supervisory needs; and

(4) Limit the amount of audio, video, and film equipment or number of media personnel entering the institution if the Warden determines that the requested equipment or personnel would create a disruption within the institution.

The Warden may also approve an interview but deny the use of audio, video, and recording devices/equipment.

Source: PS 1480.06 (6/22/2026), bop.gov/policy/progstat/1480_006.pdf. U.S. government work, public domain. Excerpts only; the official PDF controls.

This 2026 policy replaces the old 'News Media Contacts' rules and modernizes them for the social-media era. For an inmate or family, most of it is the BOP's own PR operation, but the part that matters to you is unchanged in spirit: how a reporter can interview someone inside, and what rights the inmate has when they do. That's covered below.

You control your own image and voice. The media cannot photograph you or record your voice without your written permission, even if they're on the compound filming a program. If someone inside does not want to be shown, that's their call and it has to be respected. Nobody can put your face or voice on the news over your objection.

You can talk to the press, but you can't be a journalist while incarcerated and you can't get paid for it, not for interviews, not for correspondence. This applies even in a halfway house. So telling your story is allowed; getting a paycheck or a byline for it is not. Keep that line clear if a reporter or outlet offers anything of value.

There's a real path for a book. If a writer wants to interview someone inside for a book, the warden can approve it, but the writer has to prove they're legitimate, either a track record of published books or a letter from a real publisher showing a contract. So a book project about someone's case is possible; it just requires a credentialed writer and warden approval, not a casual arrangement.

Nothing happens without your sign-off. If a reporter requests an interview with you, staff have to tell you and get your written consent first, on a specific form. Your yes or no goes in your file. So you'll always know when the press is asking for you, and you decide. It's opt-in, never automatic.

One tradeoff to understand before you agree: to do the interview, you have to let the prison respond publicly to what you say and release information related to your comments. In other words, once you go on record, the BOP gets to give its side and share related info about you. Worth thinking through, because you're partly waiving privacy over the subject you discuss.

The warden (or halfway-house manager) is the sole decider on interview requests and usually rules within a day or two. Their decision is final, there's no appeal to a higher media office. So whether a reporter gets in comes down to one person at your facility.

The warden can deny an interview for specific documented reasons: the inmate isn't medically able, the outlet has broken the rules before, it's a minor without parental consent, or the warden judges it a safety or security risk. The denial has to be written down with a reason. So denials aren't supposed to be arbitrary, though 'good order of the institution' is a broad category that gives the warden a lot of room.

Even someone in segregation (the SHU) or on restricted status isn't fully cut off from the press, they can be limited to roughly one one-hour interview a month. General population has more latitude. The point being: media access shrinks with your status but doesn't vanish entirely.

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

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.

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