New BOP Blog Available

Todd Bussert, a criminal defense lawyer who also has a strong knowledge of how the federal prison system actually works (and sometimes doesn't) for inmates, has a new blog up:  Federal Prison & Post Conviction Blog.

For many federal prisoners and their families, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a big, scary, labrynthine government agency, and navigating it can be more than a little intimidating. Understanding what the BOP is up to, how it operates, and the new rules and procedures it creates is surely helpful to those trying to get answers to common questions like "How does a prisoner get his medication? What do I do if my loved one is put in solitary confinement? How can prisoners get drug treatment in prison?  How does a prisoner get transferred closer to home?"

Here is Bussert's description of his goals for the blog:

In large measure, I see this blog as an outgrowth of my interest in helping others better understand how the BOP operates. To be clear, I do not, nor have I ever, work(ed) for the Bureau of Prisons. Also, I consider myself a defense attorney with particularized knowledge about the BOP, not a “prison consultant,” especially to the extent that term connotes one of the growing number of former federal prisoners who offer BOP advocacy services based on their “first-hand” knowledge or those whose marketing efforts target the fear that surrounds incarceration, specifically directed at “white-collar” offenders. While extremely conscious of the federal correctional system’s many shortcomings and the very real risks that prisoners face, I find that the sharing of accurate information to the widest array of interested parties offers the greatest benefit for all. I thus intend to use this blog as a vehicle to disseminate BOP-related developments (for example, the publication of a new program statement), as well as to comment on media accounts that highlight aspects of BOP’s policies in practice or to share program-related information that I may learn in the course of my practice. On occasion, I may also post about other issues of interest since my practice centers more generally on federal criminal defense, not merely prison issues.

We look forward to reading it.