Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around The Block

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan go over the last month's government policies and all the behind-the-scenes changes. The first topic they cover is the new laws on identification and what changes have been made. Next, they go over camp placement, and Susan explains which inmates qualify and which do not due to their risk evaluation. To help ill...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan open the show talking about their third and new book. It is ready for purchase and covers the Second Chance Act and halfway housing. It is a very thorough yet easy-to-read guide to help inmates and families navigate the system and build self-efficacy. After spending time going over their new book, they t...

This week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block sees Bruce and Susan tackle the BOP, FSA, FCA, and a variety of court cases. It is an information-dense episode, but they tackle each one individually to make it easy to digest. They start with a case and also refer to previous cases to paint a fuller picture. About halfway through, Susan and Bruce dive into risk assessment...

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan begin the program by explaining the services they provide and go over if they would be a good fit for you or your loved one. They also use this time to discuss how they are different from government agencies and how they came into practice in the first place. About halfway through, they transitioned to elaborat...

Bruce and Susan discuss the 11th Circuit's decision outlining factors the District Courts should consider when determining whether the incarcerated person is the "only available caregiver" in a Compassion Release request. They also discuss the U.S. Sentencing Commission's Amendment 821 and the required documentation to ensure that criminal history point reductions are applied to custody classifica...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan continue from last week's episode, which covered the First Step Act Law and its issues and details. Bruce and Susan take time to discuss their new book, which will be released soon, and encourage viewers to reach out with any comments or questions. After this, they transition to reviewing the Second Chan...

This week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block is foundational to all the work Bruce and Susan do. Bruce opens by explaining the purpose of their work, then transitions to Susan discussing the cons of the new First Step Act. They also discuss a variety of drugs and how the Law is written pertaining to these substances. Next, Susan goes through the different sections and...

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan cover a variety of new and old topics. Starting off, they discuss the First Step Act provisions and go over the requirements and reports from 2024 to 2025. Susan discusses inmate trends and how this information can be used to help current inmates and their sentencing. Over halfway through, they review incident...

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan explore detainers and pending charges. They also go over their green book, which further explains the detainers and chargers. Susan elaborates on the process of going through their sentencing time and the presentence investigation reports. About halfway through the program, Susan explains the different laws and...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan open the show, continuing the trend of answering viewer questions on the topic of transferring from maximum security to medium security. This gives Susan the opportunity to explain security levels and how each inmate qualifies for each. Around the halfway point, Bruce emphasizes the importance of the pre...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan answer viewer questions on their Facebook page. They open with low-security male and female bed spaces, and they have seen a shortage among male residents. Susan also discusses programs inmates need to complete to expedite the process and ensure they aren’t wasting time. A little later, they answered a F...

The episode begins with a discussion regarding a video shared in our Facebook group featuring Rick Stover. Bruce and Susan analyze the video's content and broader impact, covering key information on time credits, the First Step Act (FSA), and the Second Chance Act (SCA). Susan provides a detailed overview of the various levels of halfway house placements, with a specific focus on the current place...

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan begin this week by discussing proposed changes by the Sentencing Commission. The public can weigh in on how defendants can have lower points on their pre-sentence report. This could shave years off the sentence. They also use this time to tie it back to time credits and sentencing. One prerequisite, Susan empha...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan spend the first few minutes covering he capture of the Venezuelan president and his detention center process. After exploring this new development, they pivot back to the first step and time credit topics. Susan continues from last week to explore the concept of statutory eligibility. Susan defines statu...

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan wrap up 2025 by thanking listeners and LATalkRadio for providing a platform to support families and explain the Federal prison system. Bruce and Susan also discuss the commencement of sentences and time credits. All of this can be found and presented in their time credit book. About halfway through the episode,...

On this Christmas holiday episode, Bruce has a special guest, Dr. Carl Gacono. Dr. Gacono begins the episode by discussing his clinical background and experience in the BOP system. Dr. Gacono has worked with an extensive background in severe mental health patients and severe forensic cases. Building on prior experiences, Bruce offers a brief overview of his upbringing in psychology and federal pri...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan explore a new topic, the financial responsibility program (FRP), a part of earning FSA credits. Susan sets the stage for this topic by discussing its history and outlining how funds are collected based on the established criteria. They also explore how courts and the federal prison system work together t...

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan review several concepts related to the First Step Act and explain the finer details of the act. This is a section they explore in their books, which are shared below. One branch of the First Step Act they review is Risk Level Assessment and how it has changed since 2019 and during COVID-19. Bruce further explai...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan open with Susan's recent interview with CNN, the context of what she spoke about, and why understanding the entire story is important. Next, they go over time credits and the steps to ensure inmates receive them and don’t miss out due to not understanding the process. Susan and Bruce also elaborate on th...

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan delve into topics that have not been previously covered on the show. The first topic on the show is release procedures for inmates. Bruce and Susan go through the details and rules that must be followed for an inmate to be released. Side note: Prisons will provide release clothing for the inmate. Susan also rev...

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan open the episode on a slightly different note. They explore the topic of client self-efficacy, which is a form of client empowerment. There are numerous people involved and countless moving parts in the Federal Prison System, and Bruce and Susan explore how keeping the client educated and empowered is essential...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan begin by discussing the story of Todd Crisley, who has navigated the federal prison system and is now an advocate for families and inmates. He has been featured on podcasts discussing his story and how he came to do the work he does today. Bruce and Susan also delve into recent updates to the FSA and hom...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan begin by discussing the changing season from summer to fall and introduce a new topic: the designation process for inmates. Through the first half of the episode, Susan works through the details and requirements set up by the Bureau. To help wrap up the show, Susan goes over the transfer process for inma...

On this episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan begin by answering viewer questions, ensuring a thorough response while keeping the explanation clear and understandable. The main topic explored through viewer questions is the qualifications for a halfway house during the transition. After spending some time on this topic, Susan and Bruce transition to case m...

In this week's episode of Federal Prison Authority Presents: Around the Block, Bruce and Susan jump right into the discussion, explaining the Time Credit Worksheet and the amount of information now available to the public about time credits. The information discussed represents a new development and would be best accompanied by the books Bruce and Susan have written to provide a comprehensive unde...