After sentencing · Before surrender · During custody
Federal Early Release
Prepare for the earliest lawful
and appropriate return home.
Work directly with Joseph De Gregorio on prison-entry planning, continuing family support and an individualized release strategy. Give each stage a plan—and each unresolved question a responsible next step.
Continuing support and communication are defined in your written engagement. BOP and court decisions remain outside SAG’s control.
Federal Sentence Reduction & Early Release Strategist
Your family should know what happens next
Support that follows the work
through the stages you agree.
Incarceration creates practical questions that do not end when a document is finished. A family may need help interpreting the records it has received, preparing questions for staff, keeping correspondence organized and following through on housing or employment arrangements.
Joseph’s role can span pre-surrender preparation, support during custody and the transition home. Your engagement identifies the milestones covered, authorized family contacts, communication arrangements and the work Joseph will undertake. If a legal dispute arises, defense counsel evaluates the legal response.
An individual attorney-reported experience
A release plan.
Detailed follow-through.
Communication with the family.
In his September 3, 2025 recommendation, Richard Levitt described a strategic release plan, coaching for communication with a case manager, detailed activity logs and ongoing contact with the client and family.
Levitt reported that the client had received a 20-month sentence and was expected to be released shortly after serving just over four months.
Keep the milestone precise.
The recommendation describes a release that was forthcoming when it was written. It does not establish the final date, legal mechanism or placement. It is not evidence that the court reduced the 20-month sentence.
An individual experience is not a typical outcome. Eligibility, official records, institutional decisions and the person’s circumstances affect what is available.
Early Release Architecture™
Prepare before surrender.
Stay organized inside.
Build a workable return home.
Before surrender: establish the starting point.
Review reporting instructions and practical prison-entry needs. Organize the judgment and relevant records, identify questions for counsel, and prepare for the initial stages of BOP custody.
- Develop a surrender and transition checklist using confirmed instructions.
- Agree on authorized family contacts, how information will be shared and who will follow up.
- Plan for continuity of outside responsibilities and family support.
- Identify anticipated administrative and program questions without treating eligibility or future credits as already approved.
During incarceration: turn questions into documented follow-through.
Work with the client’s authorized family contacts and, where appropriate, defense counsel. Review available BOP records and publicly available program rules against the known circumstances. Separate confirmed facts, estimates and unresolved issues.
- Track available sentence-computation, program and credit records and administrative correspondence.
- Develop focused questions and supporting documents for the appropriate BOP staff.
- Review potential First Step Act, Second Chance Act, RDAP and other relevant pathways according to actual eligibility.
- Coordinate permitted outside correspondence and follow-up; maintain the agreed communication log.
- Organize housing, employment, treatment and family-support planning while recording what has actually been confirmed.
The person in custody may need to use BOP’s own procedures. SAG can help organize facts and records within its scope; counsel addresses legal challenges and formal remedies. SAG has no special access to BOP and cannot compel staff to respond.
Approaching release: prepare for the actual transition.
Review the available transition information and prepare for an authorized halfway-house, home-confinement or other community-placement arrangement when applicable.
- Confirm housing, work, treatment, transportation and family responsibilities.
- Keep placement proposals distinct from approved instructions and dates.
- Prepare the agreed release-plan summary, supporting records and open-item list.
- Continue agreed support through the milestones named in the engagement, updating the plan as official information changes.
A useful plan identifies the right pathway
Different decisions.
Different requirements.
“Early release” can describe several different goals. Joseph helps establish which question you are actually asking and what records are needed to examine it.
| Pathway | What it means | How SAG can help |
|---|---|---|
| Court-ordered sentence reduction | A court changes an imposed sentence under an applicable legal authority. | Organize factual records and practical release planning for counsel’s review. Counsel evaluates the legal route. |
| First Step Act earned time credits | Eligible participation may earn credits; separate requirements govern application toward prerelease custody or earlier supervised release. | Review available credit and program records, identify inconsistencies and prepare source-specific questions. |
| Good-conduct time | Eligible individuals may receive up to 54 days of credit per year of the sentence imposed, subject to applicable requirements and BOP calculation. This is distinct from First Step Act earned time credits. | Review available sentence-computation records and identify questions about the calculation for the appropriate BOP staff or counsel. |
| RDAP | Treatment admission, completion and eligibility for an early-release incentive are separate determinations. | Organize relevant records and eligibility questions. No admission or incentive is promised. |
| Second Chance Act / prerelease custody | Community placement may include a residential reentry center or home confinement, subject to the applicable authority and official decision. | Develop a supported housing, employment, treatment and family plan and track available transition information. |
| Home confinement | A custodial placement with restrictions. Leaving a prison building does not itself end custody or shorten the court’s sentence. | Prepare practical arrangements and questions using the actual placement instructions. |
| Supervised release | Court-ordered supervision in the community, distinct from BOP prerelease custody. | Help organize transition responsibilities and coordination with appropriate professionals. |
| Release from custody | A confirmed change in custodial status; it is different from a projection or proposed transfer. | Record the source, date and status precisely and update the practical plan. |
General distinctions only. Individual eligibility and procedures require current official records and, where legal advice is needed, counsel.
The value of an individualized engagement
A working plan,
with someone following through.
A reliable record
A dated inventory of what is known, the documents supporting it and the information still missing. Projections remain clearly labeled.
A coordinated family
Defined contacts, communication responsibilities and practical outside tasks. Your family knows what has been done and what needs attention.
A credible transition
A release-plan summary backed by housing, employment, treatment and support records, with open questions and next steps recorded.
Public guides can explain a rule. An engagement applies that information to your available records and practical circumstances, with Joseph’s direct involvement in the agreed work.
Before you decide
Can we begin while my family member is already incarcerated?
Yes, subject to fit, available records and permitted communications. Joseph can work with authorized family contacts and counsel where appropriate. The first discussion identifies the immediate issue, known dates and useful scope.
Will Joseph stay involved throughout incarceration?
Continuing support can be included. Your written engagement specifies the covered stages, communication arrangements, deliverables and milestones. A single planning assignment should not be understood as unlimited continuing support.
Can SAG obtain a guaranteed release date or placement?
No. SAG cannot control BOP, compel a release date, secure program admission or promise home confinement. The work strengthens preparation, documentation and follow-through within the applicable process.
Does a release plan replace a lawyer?
No. SAG is not a law firm. Licensed counsel provides legal advice and handles legal advocacy and filings. SAG’s nonlawyer support addresses the factual and practical work agreed in the engagement.
What should we have ready for the first conversation?
Your current stage, the next confirmed deadline, the main concern and an outline of the records available. Share sensitive documents later through an agreed process.
Bring the next step into focus
Talk with Joseph about
your path home.
Whether surrender is approaching or your family is navigating a concern during custody, begin with a direct conversation about what can realistically be done and what support would be useful.
A request does not book an appointment or retain SAG. Sentencing Advocacy Group is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. No credit award, program admission, placement, sentence reduction or release date is guaranteed.