Administrative Remedies

Prison can be a confusing and complicated place. There can be a lot of red tape when it comes to navigating the federal prison system. This red tape has the potential of causing prison problems for inmates. When these prison issues occur, you need the services of an inmate advocate. At Freedom Fighters, our prison advocates stand ready to help you in your time of need.

There are processes and procedures and endless forms involved, whether you are seeking to switch cells, preparing for parole for old law prisoners, petitioning for clemency, or objecting to disciplinary action against you. There are different processes involved in seeking referrals, making requests, lodging complaints, communicating with family members, filing petitions, and accessing various programs. These can easily overwhelm inmates and their families.

We provide expert prisoner support to help advocate for your needs and wants within the prison system. We discuss concerns and goals, provide background information, research issues, file appropriate forms, and will write, email, and call Federal Bureau of Prisons officials on behalf of you to fulfill your objectives.

 At Freedom Fighters, we know that our work doesn’t stop when our clients enter prison. In fact, federal prisoners experience many types of prison problems which can be effectively managed by experienced prison advocates such as Chad Marks. These prison issues can span everything from lack of medical care and unjust disciplinary action to seeking a transfer to a prison closer to home and help creating a life behind bars. Regardless of the prison problem at hand, Chad Marks has the experience needed to resolve the issues.

 Typical Structure of Services Provided

In the prison problems arena, we tend to start by educating our clients about the policy governing the prison issue at hand. This way the client understands what is supposed to happen in a certain situation. From here, we apply the client’s situation to governing policy and show how the client’s situation and regulation differ. It is from this nexus that we attack the issue.

When dealing with a prison issue, we have found that three approaches net the best results (often these approaches are combined in a strategic manner):

1. Help the Client Help Themselves: We advise the incarcerated client of the policy and assist them in best advocating for themselves. Many times, prison problems can be resolved in a softer manner such as this. The benefit of this approach is that prison staff don’t feel attacked or pushed around. This helps to preserve the relationship between inmates and staff. Simply put: If a Bureau staff member can be guided into resolving the issue to our client’s liking, then the process tends to be quicker, less expensive and doesn’t create an antagonistic or confrontational atmosphere with staff.

2. Administrative Remedies: Administrative remedies, also referred to as grievances, are versatile tools for resolving prison problems. Almost any issue can be challenged through the filing of a formal administrative remedy. The key is to make compelling, policy-oriented arguments. Our staff regularly researches and drafts administrative remedies for our incarcerated clients to file. We also draft appeals when administrative remedies are denied. Often, inmates must appeal their administrative remedy to their Warden (BP-9) or the Regional Director (BP-10) before a true review of the grieved prison issue is properly addressed.

3. Contact Prison Staff: In conjunction with the above approaches, or even separately, we find that contacting prison staff directly can be an effective tool for resolving a prison issue. Bureau staff are not accustomed to having external oversight by prison policy experts. When our federal prison consultants contact prison staff on your behalf, they take note. The typical approach we like to take here is to first send a letter or email to the appropriate Bureau official and to then follow-up with them through a phone call. This approach is particularly effective when used in conjunction with administrative remedies as it draws significant attention to the prison problems.

Our prison advocates have significant experience addressing client problems and can craft a strategy to give you the highest likelihood of success. While no prison consultant can guarantee a particular outcome, we can put you on your best footing for a successful resolution to the prison issue you are facing.

 Types of Prison Problems and Prison Issues

There are a wide variety of prison issues that prisoners face, though most inmates will only deal with a few during their term of incarceration. To better assist you with conceptualizing the types of in-prison services offered, we have prepared a list of commonly provided services:

• Prison Transfer Assistance

• Health Care Advocacy

• Inmate Disciplinary Defense

• Halfway House Maximization

• Direct to Home Confinement Placement

• Challenges to Visitation Denials

• Assistance Getting Loved Ones Out of the Special Housing Unit (SHU)

• Prison Education Consultations

• Compassionate Release Request on the FBOP level

• Contesting Email Restrictions for Sex Offenders

• Reviewing and Challenging security level Designations

• Grievances Based on a Variety of Issues    

Our Prison Advocates

When considering hiring a prison consultant, it is important to hire the right one to ensure the best possible outcome for your prison problems. You need a consultant with a comprehensive knowledge of Bureau of Prisons policies and operations, the ability to think both creatively and strategically, and a proven track record of success. Freedom Fighters, and Chad Marks we check all of these boxes and plenty more. Chad personally has a winning track record.

Our team of prison advocates is led by prison policy expert Chad Marks. In addition to helping clients resolve in-prison issues for over the past decade, Chad is the author of many articles published in the Criminal Legal News and Prison Legal News.