The rules and regulations at Dismas Charities residential reentry centers govern nearly every hour of a resident’s day: curfew, sign-outs, mandatory full-time employment within 15 days, a 25 percent subsistence fee taken from every paycheck, unannounced drug testing, restricted visits and mail, and a disciplinary process that can send a resident back to federal prison. Specific rules vary somewhat between Dismas locations, but the Bureau of Prisons contract framework means the core obligations are consistent across facilities.
The Daily Structure and Curfew
A day at a Dismas facility is scheduled from wake-up to lights out, with required programming, meals, and work or job search built in. Residents are expected to participate in everything laid out in their Individual Program Plan, which can include counseling, life skills workshops, and substance abuse treatment.1United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Dismas Charities, Inc. Sioux City Resident Handbook
Curfew times differ by facility and by day of the week. At the Dismas Lubbock facility, curfew is 8:45 PM Sunday through Thursday and 9:45 PM on Friday and Saturday, with lights out at 10:30 PM.2United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Dismas Charities Lubbock Resident Handbook The only accepted exceptions are verified late work shifts or specific approval from the Facility Director. A few minutes late without authorization counts as a violation and triggers an incident report.
Sign-Outs and Accountability
Residents can only leave the building through a formal sign-out for pre-approved activities such as work, job interviews, medical appointments, or counseling. Staff track each resident’s location and may call or visit at any time to confirm the resident is where they are supposed to be.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Residential Reentry Management Centers Returning to the facility can trigger an on-the-spot drug or alcohol test.
Inside the building, head counts happen at both scheduled and random intervals. Missing a count, even accidentally, is treated seriously. The burden of being accounted for at all times falls on the resident.
Employment Within 15 Days
Getting a job is not optional. The BOP expects RRC residents to be employed 40 hours per week within 15 calendar days of arrival.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Residential Reentry Management Centers Some Dismas locations set the minimum at 32 hours per week, but full-time work is the baseline expectation everywhere.1United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Dismas Charities, Inc. Sioux City Resident Handbook
Until a resident secures work, the job search itself is the full-time obligation. Some Dismas facilities require a minimum of ten applications per day with a daily log submitted to the assigned case manager.1United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Dismas Charities, Inc. Sioux City Resident Handbook Attendance at job readiness classes is mandatory.
Residents must disclose their legal status and RRC residency to potential employers. Staff verify employment details before approving a job. Working under the table or for cash is prohibited, and the employer must deduct applicable taxes and provide a verifiable pay stub.
The Subsistence Fee and Mandatory Savings
Every employed resident pays a subsistence fee of 25 percent of gross income. The fee offsets the cost of the placement, and the BOP caps it so it cannot exceed the average daily per diem rate the government pays under that facility’s contract.4Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 7310.04 – Community Corrections Center Utilization and Transfer Procedures It comes out of the paycheck directly, so residents never handle the money themselves.
On top of that, Dismas facilities require residents to open a savings account and deposit a portion of income each pay period. The percentage varies by location. Sioux City, for example, requires 25 percent of net income into savings, with no withdrawals allowed without case manager approval.1United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Dismas Charities, Inc. Sioux City Resident Handbook Between the subsistence fee and mandatory savings, a significant portion of every paycheck is spoken for before the resident sees it.
Drug Testing and Prohibited Conduct
Drug and alcohol testing happens regularly and unpredictably. A test can be run on return from any approved outing, and additional random tests can occur at any time.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Residential Reentry Management Centers A positive test, or a refusal to provide a sample, is treated as a Greatest Severity offense, the same weight as actual drug possession. Alcohol-related offenses fall at the same level.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5270.09 – Inmate Discipline Program
The BOP classifies prohibited acts into four severity levels. Greatest Severity (100-level) offenses include possessing drugs or alcohol, introducing contraband, assault, and refusing to provide a urine sample. High Severity (200-level) covers threats, unauthorized possession of money beyond set limits, and sexual contact without force. Lower-level violations include being in an unauthorized area, using vulgar language, and failing to follow sanitation rules.6eCFR. 28 CFR 541.3 – Prohibited Acts and Available Sanctions There is no gray area on alcohol. Even a single drink can end a placement.
Visitors, Mail, and Phone Use
Visitors must be on the resident’s approved visiting list and cleared by the BOP before any in-person contact is allowed.7Federal Bureau of Prisons. How to Visit a Federal Inmate Every visitor must present a valid photo ID before admission.8eCFR. 28 CFR Part 540 Subpart D – Visiting Regulations Visiting hours are limited to short windows, often a few weekday evenings and weekend afternoons. The resident is held responsible for their visitors’ conduct, so a disruptive visitor becomes the resident’s problem. Facilities set their own rules for children, including designated child areas and supervision requirements for residents convicted of certain offenses involving minors.9Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5267.09 – Visiting Regulations
All incoming and outgoing mail is subject to inspection for contraband. Legal mail, which the BOP calls “special mail,” receives extra protection: it must be marked on the envelope and is opened only in the resident’s presence, so staff can confirm the sender without reading privileged content.10Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5265.14 – Correspondence This covers correspondence from attorneys, courts, members of Congress, and certain other government officials.
Phone use is restricted to authorized hours and approved devices, and staff may monitor calls. Technology rules are strict, and most facilities prohibit social media access. Internet and device policies are set at the facility level, so confirm the specifics during orientation rather than assume any particular app or device is allowed.
Personal Property
RRC residents have more flexibility with belongings than people in a standard federal prison, but limits still apply. Each facility posts its own numerical caps on items like clothing, shoes, and electronics. General BOP property rules restrict inmates to one approved radio and one watch, prohibit most audio recording equipment, and limit footwear to specific types and quantities.11Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5580.08 – Inmate Personal Property Residents receive a complete list of allowed and prohibited items during intake, and anything not on that list can be confiscated.
If You Are Charged With a Violation
When staff believe a resident committed a prohibited act, they issue a written incident report, typically within 24 hours. An investigator interviews the resident, who has the right to give an explanation, remain silent, request witnesses, or request evidence.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5270.09 – Inmate Discipline Program
The report goes to a Unit Discipline Committee (UDC), which reviews it within five work days. The UDC can resolve lower-severity violations with sanctions like loss of privileges, facility restriction, or extra duty, but it cannot impose loss of good conduct time or disciplinary segregation. Greatest or High Severity charges are automatically referred to a Discipline Hearing Officer (DHO).
At a DHO hearing, the resident receives written notice of the charges at least 24 hours beforehand and has the right to appear, request a staff representative, and present evidence. The DHO can impose more serious sanctions, including loss of good conduct time and removal from the RRC program entirely. Removal means returning to a federal prison to serve the remaining sentence in custody. For contract RRCs, Community Corrections Managers have the authority to take disciplinary action.
Leaving Without Authorization Is a Federal Crime
Walking away from a Dismas facility, or failing to return from an approved outing, is not just a rule violation. It is a separate federal offense. Under 18 U.S.C. 751, escape from any facility where a person is confined by direction of the Attorney General carries a penalty of up to five years in prison on top of the original sentence.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 751 – Prisoners in Custody of Institution or Officer Nearly nine out of ten federal escape prosecutions involve someone who left or failed to report to an RRC.13United States Sentencing Commission. Federal Escape Offenses
The average prison sentence imposed for a federal escape offense is 12 months. Residents who turn themselves in within 96 hours receive a lower guideline range, averaging about six months. Those arrested for a new crime while absent face an average of 16 months.13United States Sentencing Commission. Federal Escape Offenses Leaving without authorization is the single most consequential mistake a resident can make.
Transitioning to Home Confinement
An RRC placement is not necessarily the final step before release. Many residents move from a Dismas facility to home confinement once they demonstrate they no longer need the RRC’s level of supervision. To qualify, a resident must have a verified place to live and a record of compliance. RRC staff assess residents for home confinement eligibility roughly every two weeks and are expected to document a plan with target transition dates.14United States Courts. How Residential Reentry Centers Operate and When to Impose
Home confinement is still custody. Staff continue to track the resident’s whereabouts, and the same obligations around employment, subsistence fees, and drug testing remain in effect. Violating home confinement conditions can send a resident back to the RRC or to prison.
Filing a Grievance
Residents who believe a rule was applied unfairly or a right was violated can use the BOP’s Administrative Remedy Program. Exhausting this process is generally required before a federal court will hear any legal challenge. Residents in community corrections centers are not required to attempt informal resolution first and can go straight to a written filing.15Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 1330.18 – Administrative Remedy Program
The process has three levels, each with strict deadlines:
- BP-9 (initial request): filed within 20 calendar days of the incident. The Warden or Community Corrections Manager has 20 days to respond.
- BP-10 (regional appeal): filed within 20 calendar days of the BP-9 response. The Regional Director has 30 days to respond.
- BP-11 (final appeal): filed within 30 calendar days of the BP-10 response. The General Counsel has 40 days to respond, and this is the final administrative level.
If the facility fails to respond within the allotted time, including any extension, the resident can treat the silence as a denial and move to the next level.16eCFR. 28 CFR Part 542 – Administrative Remedy Emergency requests that threaten the resident’s immediate health or safety must receive a response within three calendar days. Missing a deadline at any level forfeits the right to appeal further, so tracking dates carefully matters.