Typical BOP False Hopes? (By Freckles!)

A new entry from the one and only Freckles!!! Check it out!!!

While in prison, halfway house or on probation - you always hear about this mythical thing called "early release".  Early release from prison has proven to not be a unicorn as thousands of drug cases have recently seen early release with more to come. But what about early release from probation?  It's always a question to your PO and you're never given a truly straight answer. I'll use my 36 month probation term for our example.  

So I ask my PO about getting released from federal supervision early, not too long after I started my probation with them last spring.  To that I get an answer that with a term of 3 years we can recommend release around the 12 - 18 month mark.  Usually the 18 month mark is what is signed off on by our supervisor in our district.  Ok cool, so thinking if the PO says I'm good to release and even the supervising powers that be say I'm good to release - I should be hopeful that I'll be cut loose correct?  Not so much.  

After my last visit from my PO, she discussed me being turned over to another agent who is for "low risk" individuals. I was honestly shocked since I've had the same person for over a year on pretrial and now for about 9 months - I felt like she was never going to let me go.  

I asked the question again - especially with all these "early releases" going on from the BOP - what are the chances of me being released from supervision early.  Her response was definitely not what I imagined.  I was told that the reason I'm being "given" to a low risk PO is because of the increase in her caseload and that is the way the system is dealing with the influx of people coming into the supervision arena earlier then planned.  I was also told that although it is normal to "ask" to be released early from supervision it rarely happens.  She has seen it happen once and in that case the person did a complete turn around.  The judge sees so many of these that he denies, denies, denies and he needs to be "wowed" to cut you loose. 

Judge? what judge? what about you and your peeps signing off on?? Well, it goes in front of a judge - not your sentencing judge - another bureaucrat that is the early release gate keeper.  I was then informed since I was married, have a house and job - and had all this before I was incarcerated - it's probably pretty hard for me to "wow" the judge (but he doesn't know Freckles and her capabilities). 

So again, I plug along not planning on early anything - my hopes of beaches outside the US and Mexican Fiesta's need to be postponed for yet another 2 plus years. It really isn't a big deal to me - I don't do anything I'm not supposed to - but my state is cut in "half" as far as where I can travel without permission - so even a weekend to a friends cabin that is only 2 hours away needs to be ok'd; but I can travel 5 hours away to another friends cabin just because it falls on the "right" side of the state.  Spontaneity is no longer in my dictionary (for now) - because Freckles has it in her and it sucks not being able to be "me". And yes my PO will approve any travel I do want to do - she's already made that clear and even asks if I have any trips planned.  

So, keep your heads up - but not your hopes. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have the peeing in a cup thing down by the time I release now with the full 3 years!!  And maybe, just maybe, I'll start planning things to "wow" this bureaucrat - that is one challenge that this felon is up for - watch out early release gate keeper - Freckles is coming in HOT!!