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Fourth Circuit to BOP Prisoner: Any “Disqualifying Offense” Means Zero FSA Credits
Loaded on April 1, 2026
by Chuck Sharman
published in Prison Legal News
April, 2026, page 32
Filed under:
First Step Act,
Bureau of Prisons (BOP),
Statutory Construction/Interpretation,
Credits,
Concurrent and Consecutive Sentences.
Location:
South Carolina.
by Chuck Sharman
In a stark warning to federal prisoners on November 25, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit declared that federal courts will not disaggregate a combined sentence to apply credits offered under the First Step Act (FSA), 18 U.S.C. § 3632. If …
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More from this issue:
- Alabama’s Non-Solution to the Crisis Overtaking Its Prisons, by Douglas Ankney
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Colorado Governor Tells Lawmakers to Open New Prison
- $667,000 Awarded to Muslim Missouri Prisoners Pepper-Sprayed for Praying, by Chuck Sharman
- Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, by Chuck Sharman
- Former Maine Prison Official Stole $2.4 Million Through Fraudulent Supply Orders
- The Cells Inside ‘One of the Most Archaic Prisons in the United States’, by Shakeil Price
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, by Chuck Sharman
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, by Matthew Clarke
- “Large Fight” Broke Out at Alaska Prison After Downsizing Effort, by Jo Ellen Knott
- $1 Million Paid by Cuyahoga County for Detainee’s Preventable Suicide in Cleveland Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- Class Certification Granted to Suit Challenging Suspension of HALT Act in New York Prisons, by Chuck Sharman
- More Measles Cases Detected at Jails in New Mexico and Texas, by Jo Ellen Knott
- ICE Jails Denied Muslim Detainees’ Right to Celebrate Ramadan
- California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, by Victoria Law
- Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, by Chuck Sharman
- Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by Chuck Sharman
- Ohio Supreme Court Awards Prisoner $1,000 for Denied Records Request, by Chuck Sharman
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.5 Million Class-Action Settlement Reached in Texas Jail Over-Detention Case, by Chuck Sharman
- Missouri Prisons Called Out for Incomplete Death Records, Hellish Solitary Heat, by Chuck Sharman
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, by Matthew Clarke
- Oklahoma County Officials Move to Dissolve Jail Trust Created for Oversight
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
- Almost $1 Million in Settlements Paid to Three Nevada Prisoners, by Chuck Sharman
- Two Texas Women Charged for Using Plastic Crows in Smuggling Scheme
- Fourth Circuit to BOP Prisoner: Any “Disqualifying Offense” Means Zero FSA Credits, by Chuck Sharman
- California County Hires New Healthcare Company After Jail Deaths Under Wellpath
- New Illinois State Law Requires Prisons to Submit Annual Hospice Reports, by Michael Thompson
- At This Prison, Staffing Fluctuations Land Hardest on Lifers, by Jeffrey Shockley
- Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons, by Michael Thompson
- Five Prisoners in Georgia Injured in Fight, Two Months After Three Prisoners Were Killed
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, by Matthew Clarke
- Hawai’i Settles Prison Mental Healthcare Class-Action With $100,000 in Attorney’s Fees and Expert Inspection That Produces Damning Report, by Chuck Sharman
- Montana Switches to Sending Prisoners to a Private Prison in Mississippi
- Faults Found with Centurion in Kansas Four Years Ago Are Still Not Fixed, by Michael Thompson
- Death of Washington Jail Standards Bill Risks Repeat of $2.5 Million Settlement That Closed One County’s Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- $950,000 Settlement Reached for Pennsylvania Jail Detainee Repeatedly Pepper-Sprayed During Mental Health Episodes, by Chuck Sharman
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, by Matthew Clarke
- First Circuit Revives Federal Prisoner’s Claim Against Rhode Island Lockup, by Chuck Sharman
- The Same Company that Built Guantanamo Bay Is Building Kansas City’s World Cup Jail
- $10.3 Million Paid for Teen’s Death at Kansas Juvenile Detention Facility, by Chuck Sharman
- ICE Settles Suit Over Opening Detainees’ Legal Mail, by Chuck Sharman
- Survey of Arkansas Jails Reveals Strained, Costly Health Care System, by Abbey Kim
- Federal Jury Awards $1,670,000 for Diabetic Detainee’s Preventable Death in Philadelphia Jail, YesCare Reaches Separate Confidential Settlement, by Chuck Sharman
- Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract, by Michael Thompson
- Idaho DOC Transfers Prisoners to Arizona Facility Run by CoreCivic
- Digital Tablet Shift Brings Added Cost, Lost Data to Prisoners in California
- Wisconsin’s Incarcerated Population Has More Access to Opioid Treatment, But Still Missing in Eight County Jails
- ICE Taps New Contractor to Run Deadly Detention Center in Texas
- More Than 40k 311 Calls From Rikers Go Into a Black Hole Every Year, by Reuven Blau, Kennedy Sessions
- Prisoners in Oklahoma Can Now Buy Vapes, Pouches from Commissary
- Watchdog Report Finds More than 1,500 Waiting for Specialty Care at Connecticut Prisons
- Tulsa Jail Withholds Records Related to Detainee Deaths
- Analysts Recommend Closing California’s Soledad Prison
- Judge Orders Rikers Manager Must Fix Jail in Seven Years Or Less
- News in Brief
- Private Company Investigating Rapes at California ICE Detention Center Instead of Sheriff
- Officials in Kansas Allow CoreCivic to Reopen Leavenworth Prison
More from Chuck Sharman:
- $3.25 Million Verdict in New York Against Jail Medical Profiteer Armor Health, July 1, 2026
- After Spoliation Sanction, CoreCivic Settles Suit Over Suicide in New Mexico ICE Lockup, July 1, 2026
- Conviction Tossed for Former Alabama Prisoner Paroled After 42 Years, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Continues to Hack Away At First Step Act, July 1, 2026
- California Supreme Court Limits Money Bail for Nonviolent Charges, July 1, 2026
- Alabama Barred from Executing Prisoner by Nitrogen Hypoxia, July 1, 2026
- Fifth Circuit Kills Louisiana Prison Medical and Mental Health Care Reform, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Shuts Down GEO Group Bid for Immunity in Suit by Colorado ICE Detainees, July 1, 2026
- $25,000 Paid to Former New York Jail Detainee Subjected to Delayed Healthcare and Denied Mental Healthcare— Despite Seven Suicide Attempts, July 1, 2026
- Prisoners’ Risk of Death In Custody More than Doubles in Solitary Confinement, July 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Oregon Supreme Court: Jail Credit Statute Focuses Upon Legal Custody Not Physical Custody Location, July 1, 2026. Civil Procedure, Sentencing, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Criminal Justice, Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
- BOP Supervisor in Colorado Indicted for Smuggling Over 400 Vapes, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- California Appeals Court Sustains Amendments to CDCR that Narrow Youth Parole Eligibility Rules, July 1, 2026. Parole, Equal Protection Clause/Claims, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Credits, Prison Regulations.
- Fourth Circuit Announces ICE’s Execution of a Removal Warrant Following a Final Removal Order Does Not Constitute a “Pending Proceeding” Under 18 U.S.C. § 1505, Vacating Noncitizen’s Obstruction Conviction in Issue of First Impression, June 1, 2026. Deportation/Removal/Exclusion, Obstruction of Justice, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- California Supreme Court Announces Failure to Challenge Ambiguous Jury Instructions on Imputed Malice in a Prior Direct Appeal Does Not Categorically Bar Resentencing Relief Under Penal Code § 1172.6, June 1, 2026. Procedural Default/Error, Preservation of Appellate Rights/Issues, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Accessories and Accomplices.
- Fifth Circuit Announces Enhanced Supervised Release Provision Under 18 U.S.C. § 3583(k) Does Not Apply to Assimilative Crimes Act Offenses, Limiting Statutory Maximum to Five Years Under § 3583(b), June 1, 2026. Waiver of Appeal Rights, Preservation of Appellate Rights/Issues, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentence, Acquitted Conduct/Uncharged Crimes/Dismissed Counts.
- SCOTUS Announces Sentencing Disparities Created by Nonretroactive Statutory Amendments Cannot Constitute Extraordinary and Compelling Reasons for Compassionate Release, June 1, 2026. First Step Act, Mandatory Minimum Sentence, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentencing Disparity, Compassionate Release.
- Ninth Circuit Lets Stand Ruling That Federal Prisoners’ Gradually Accumulated Savings Are Subject to Restitution Turnover, June 1, 2026. Restitution, Trust Accounts, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Fines.
- Eighth Circuit Dismisses Federal Prisoner’s Challenge to BOP Denying His Request for Expedited Transfer to Prerelease Custody, June 1, 2026. Release and Reentry, Habeas Corpus, First Step Act, Community Confinement/Home Detention, Credits.
- They Thought They Were Leaving Prison Early. Then They Weren’t., June 1, 2026. Public Records, Overdetention, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Credits, Concurrent and Consecutive Sentences.

