28 C.F.R. Subpart D—Control Unit Programs
Title 28 - Judicial Administration
Source: 49 FR 32991, Aug. 17, 1984, unless otherwise noted.
(a) In an effort to maintain a safe and orderly environment within its institutions, the Bureau of Prisons operates control unit programs intended to place into a separate unit those inmates who are unable to function in a less restrictive environment without being a threat to others or to the orderly operation of the institution. The Bureau of Prisons provides written criteria for the: (1) Referral of an inmate for possible placement within a control unit; (2) Selection of an inmate for placement within a control unit; (3) Regular review of an inmate while housed in a control unit; and (4) Release of an inmate from a control unit. (b) The Bureau of Prisons provides an inmate confined within a control unit the opportunity to participate in programs and activities restricted as necessary to protect the security, good order, or discipline of the unit. (a) The Warden shall submit a recommendation for referral of an inmate for placement in a control unit to the Regional Director in the region where the inmate is located. (b) The Warden shall consider the following factors in a recommendation for control unit placement. (1) Any incident during confinement in which the inmate has caused injury to other persons. (2) Any incident in which the inmate has expressed threats to the life or well-being of other persons. (3) Any incident involving possession by the inmate of deadly weapons or dangerous drugs. (4) Any incident in which the inmate is involved in a disruption of the orderly operation of a prison, jail or other correctional institution. (5) An escape from a correctional institution. (6) An escape attempt. Depending on the circumstances, an escape attempt, considered alone or together with an inmate's prior history, may warrant consideration for a control unit placement. (7) The nature of the offense for which committed. An inmate may not be considered solely on the nature of the crime which resulted in that inmate's incarceration; however, the nature of the crime may be considered in combination with other factor(s) as described in paragraph (b) of this section. (c) The Warden may not refer an inmate for placement in a control unit: (1) If the inmate shows evidence of significant mental disorder or major physical disabilities as documented in a mental health evaluation or a physical examination; (2) On the basis that the inmate is a protection case, e.g., a homosexual, an informant, etc., unless the inmate meets other criteria as described in paragraph (b) of this section. (a) The Regional Director in the region where the inmate is located shall review the institution's recommendation for referral of an inmate for placement in a control unit. If the Regional Director concurs with the recommendation, the Regional Director shall forward a written request, together with the institution's referral material, to the Regional Director of the region where the control unit is located. The Regional Director of the region where the control unit is located shall designate a person in the Regional Office to review the referral material and to conduct a hearing on the appropriateness of an inmate's placement in a control unit. (b) The Hearing Administrator shall have the following qualifications: (1) Correctional experience, including institutional work with inmates, processing of inmate disciplinary actions, significant institutional experience in observing and evaluating inmate adjustment and disruptive behavior, and knowledge of the options available in the Bureau of Prisons for dealing with such conduct; (2) Lack of former personal involvement in an Institution Discipline Committee action involving the particular inmate in incident(s) referred; and (3) Familiarity with Bureau of Prisons policies and operations, including the criteria for placement of inmates in different institutions and in a control unit. (a) The Hearing Administrator shall provide a hearing to an inmate recommended for placement in a control unit. The hearing ordinarily shall take place at the recommending or sending institution. (b) The hearing shall proceed as follows. (1) Staff shall provide an inmate with an advance written notice of the hearing and a copy of this rule at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. The notice will advise the inmate of the specific act(s) or other evidence which forms the basis for a recommendation that the inmate be transferred to a control unit, unless such evidence would likely endanger staff or others. If an inmate is illiterate, staff shall explain the notice and this rule to the inmate and document that this explanation has occurred. (2) The Hearing Administrator shall provide an inmate the service of a full-time staff member to represent the inmate, if the inmate so desires. The Hearing Administrator shall document in the record of the hearing an inmate's request for, or refusal of staff representation. The inmate may select a staff representative from the local institution. If the selected staff member declines or is unavailable, the inmate has the option of selecting another representative or, in the case of an absent staff member, of waiting a reasonable period (determined by the Hearing Administrator) for the staff member's return, or of proceeding without a staff representative. When an inmate is illiterate, the Warden shall provide a staff representative. The staff representative shall be available to assist the inmate and, if the inmate desires, shall contact witnesses and present favorable evidence at the hearing. The Hearing Administrator shall afford the staff representative adequate time to speak with the inmate and to interview available witnesses. (3) The inmate has the right to be present throughout the hearing, except where institutional security or good order is jeopardized. The Hearing Administrator may conduct a hearing in the absence of the inmate when the inmate refuses to appear. The Hearing Administrator shall document an inmate's refusal to appear, or other reason for non-appearance, in the record of the hearing. (4) The inmate is entitled to present documentary evidence and to have witnesses appear, provided that calling witnesses would not jeopardize or threaten institutional security or individual safety, and further provided that the witnesses are available at the institution where the hearing is being conducted. (i) The evidence to be presented must be material and relevant to the issue as to whether the inmate can and would function in a general prison population without being or posing a threat to staff or others or to the orderly operation of the institution. The Hearing Administrator may not consider an attempt to reverse or repeal a prior finding of a disciplinary violation. (ii) Repetitive witnesses need not be called. Staff who recommend placement in a control unit are not required to appear, provided their recommendation is fully explained in the record. Staff who were involved, in any capacity, in former disciplinary proceedings need not be called as to their involvement in those proceedings, since this hearing is not to go over the factual basis for prior actions which have been decided. (iii) When a witness is not available within the institution, or not permitted to appear, the inmate may submit a written statement by that witness. The Hearing Administrator shall, upon the inmate's request, postpone any decision following the hearing for a reasonable time to permit the obtaining and forwarding of written statements. (iv) The Hearing Administrator shall document in the record of the hearing the reasons for declining to permit a witness or to receive documentary evidence. (a) At the conclusion of the hearing and following review of all material related to the recommendation for placement of an inmate in a control unit, the Hearing Administrator shall prepare a written decision as to whether this placement is warranted. The Hearing Administrator shall: (1) Prepare a summary of the hearing and of all information presented upon which the decision is based; and (2) Indicate the specific reasons for the decision, to include a description of the act, or series of acts, or evidence on which the decision is based. (b) The Hearing Administrator shall advise the inmate in writing of the decision. The inmate shall receive the information described in paragraph (a) of this section unless it is determined that the release of this information could pose a threat to individual safety, or institutional security, in which case that limited information may be withheld. The Hearing Administrator shall advise the inmate that the decision will be submitted for review of the Executive Panel. The Hearing Administrator shall advise the inmate that, if the inmate so desires, the inmate may submit an appeal of the Hearing Administrator's decision to the Executive Panel. This appeal, with supporting documentation and reasons, must be filed within five working days of the inmate's receipt of the Hearing Administrator's decision. (c) The Hearing Administrator shall send the decision, whether for or against placement in a control unit, and supporting documentation to the Executive Panel. Ordinarily this is done within 20 working days after conclusion of the hearing. Any reason for extension is to be documented. The Executive Panel is composed of the Regional Director of the region where a control unit is located to which referral is being considered and the Assistant Director, Correctional Programs Division. (a) The Executive Panel shall review the decision and supporting documentation of the Hearing Administrator and, if submitted, the information contained in an inmate's appeal. The Panel shall accept or reject the Hearing Administrator's decision within 30 working days of its receipt, unless for good cause there is reason for delay, which shall be documented in the record. (b) The Executive Panel shall provide a copy of its decision to the Warden at the institution to which the inmate is to be transferred, to the inmate, to the referring Warden and region, and to the Hearing Administrator. (c) An inmate may appeal a decision of the Executive Panel, through the Administrative Remedy Procedure, directly to the Office of General Counsel, Bureau of Prisons, within 30 calendar days of the inmate's receipt of the Executive Panel's decision. The Warden shall provide the following services to a control unit inmate. These services must be provided unless compelling security or safety reasons dictate otherwise. These reasons will be documented and signed by the Warden, indicating the Warden's review and approval. (a) Education. The Warden shall assign a member of the education staff to the control unit on at least a part-time basis to assist in developing an educational program to fulfil each inmate's academic needs. The education staff member is ordinarily a member of the control unit team. (b) Work assignments. Staff may assign inmates to a work assignment, such as range orderly. The manner in which these duties are carried out will reflect the inmate's unit adjustment, and will assist staff in evaluating the inmate. (c) Industries (UNICOR). If an industry program exists in a control unit each inmate participating in this program may earn industrial pay, subject to the regulations of Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (UNICOR). The industry program is supervised by an industry foreman. The control unit team will determine when or if an industry assignment is appropriate for each inmate who submits a request for possible assignment to industries work. (d) Legal. An inmate assigned to a control unit may use that unit's inmate basic law library, upon request and in rotation. Consistent with security considerations, the law library is to include basic legal reference books, and ordinarily a table and chair, typewriter, paper and carbon. Abuse of materials in the inmate law library (for example, a typewriter) may result in a decision by the Warden to limit the use of legal materials. A decision to limit materials due to abuse must be documented in writing and signed by the Warden. (e) Recreation. The recreation program in a control unit shall include the following requirements: (1) Each inmate shall have the opportunity to receive a minimum of seven hours weekly recreation and exercise out of the cell. (2) Staff shall provide various games and exercise materials as consistent with security considerations and orderly operation of the unit. Inmates who alter or intentionally damage recreation equipment may be deprived of the use of that equipment in the future. (f) Case management services. The case manager is responsible for all areas of case management. This ordinarily includes preparation of the visiting list, notarizing documents, preparation of various reports, and other case management duties. The case manager is ordinarily a member of the control unit team. (g) Counselor services. The unit counselor ordinarily handles phone call requests, special concerns and requests of inmates, and requests for administrative remedy forms. The unit counselor is also available for consultation and for counseling as recommended in the mental health evaluation (see paragraph (i) of this section—Mental Health Services). (h) Medical services. A member of the medical staff shall visit control unit inmates daily. A physician will visit the unit as the need arises. (i) Mental health services. During the first 30-day period in a control unit, staff shall schedule the control unit inmate for a psychological evaluation conducted by a psychologist. Additional individual evaluations shall occur every 30 days. The psychologist shall perform and/or supervise needed psychological services. Psychiatric services will be provided when necessary. Inmates requiring prescribed psychotropic medication are not ordinarily housed in a control unit. (j) Religion. Staff shall issue religious materials upon request, limited by security consideration and housekeeping rules in the unit. This material may come from an inmate's personal property or from the chaplain's office. The institutional chaplains shall make at least weekly visits to the control unit. While individual prayer and/or worship is allowed in a control unit, religious assemblies or group meetings are not allowed. (k) Food service and personal hygiene. Staff shall provide food services and personal hygiene care consistent with the requirements of the current rule regarding Special Housing Units. (l) Correspondence. Inmates confined in a control unit are provided correspondence privileges in accordance with the Bureau of Prisons' rule on Inmate Correspondence (see 28 CFR part 540). (m) Visiting. Visits for inmates confined in a control unit are conducted in a controlled visiting area, separated from regular visiting facilities. Staff shall allot a minimum of four hours per month visiting time to a control unit inmate. The number of consecutive hours visiting on a particular day may be limited by the number of visitors waiting to visit. All visitors must be on the inmate's approved visiting list. (n) Commissary. Staff shall establish a commissary purchase schedule. The amount of money which control unit inmates spend per month is comparable to the spending limitation for inmates residing in the general population. Staff may limit commissary items to ensure the safety and security of the unit. (o) Personal property. Personal property retained by an inmate in a control unit is to be stored in the space provided. Personal property items shall be limited in number and type to ensure the safety and good order of the unit. [49 FR 32991, Aug. 17, 1984, as amended at 60 FR 46484, Sept. 6, 1995] Staff shall provide an inmate admitted to a control unit with: (a) Notice of the projected duration of the inmate's confinement in a control unit; (b) Notice of the type of personal property which is allowable in the unit (items made of glass or metal will not be permitted); (c) A summary of the guidelines and disciplinary procedures applicable in the unit; (d) An explanation of the activities in a control unit; (e) The expectations of the inmate's involvement in control unit activities; and (f) The criteria for release from the unit, and how those criteria specifically relate to this confinement period in the unit and any specific requirements in the inmate's individual case. (a) The Warden at an institution housing a control unit may order a digital or simple instrument search for all new admissions to the control unit. The Warden may also order a digital or simple instrument search for any inmate who is returned to the control unit following contact with the public. Authorization for a digital or simple instrument search must be in writing, signed by the Warden, with a copy placed in the inmate central file. The Warden's authority may not be delegated below the level of Acting Warden. (b) An inmate in a control unit may request in writing that an X-ray be taken in lieu of the digital search discussed in paragraph (a) of this section. The Warden shall approve this request, provided it is determined and stated in writing by the institution's Clinical Director or Acting Clinical Director (may not be further delegated) that the amount of X-ray exposure previously received by the inmate, or anticipated to be given the inmate in the immediate future, does not make the proposed X-ray medically unwise. Staff are to place documentation of the X-ray, and the inmate's signed request for it, in the inmate's central and medical files. The Warden's authority may not be delegated below the level of Acting Warden. (c) Staff may not conduct a digital or simple instrument search if it is likely to result in physical injury to the inmate. In this situation, the Warden, upon approval of the Regional Director, may authorize the institution physician to order a non-repetitive X-ray for the purpose of determining if contraband is concealed in or on the inmate. The X-ray examination may not be performed if it is determined by the institution physician that such an examination is likely to result in serious or lasting medical injury or harm to the inmate. Staff are to place documentation of the X-ray examination in the inmate's central file and medical file. The authority of the Warden and Regional Director may not be delegated below the level of Acting Warden and Acting Regional Director respectively. If neither a digital or simple instrument search, nor an X-ray examination may be used, the inmate is to be placed in a dry cell until sufficient time has passed to allow excretion. (d) Staff shall solicit the inmate's written consent prior to conducting a digital or simple instrument search, or, as specified in paragraph (c) of this section, an X-ray examination. However, the inmate's consent is not required. [50 FR 25662, June 20, 1985, as amended at 60 FR 46484, Sept. 6, 1995] (a) Unit staff shall evaluate informally and daily an inmate's adjustment within the control unit. Once every 30 days, the control unit team, comprised of the control unit manager and other members designated by the Warden (ordinarily to include the officer-in-charge or lieutenant, case manager, and education staff member assigned to the unit), shall meet with an inmate in the control unit. The inmate is required to attend the team meeting in order to be eligible for the previous month's stay in the control unit to be credited towards the projected duration of confinement in that unit. The unit team shall make an assessment of the inmate's progress within the unit and may make a recommendation as to readiness for release after considering the inmate's: (1) Unit status; (2) Adjustment; and (3) Readiness for release from the unit. (See §541.50(a)) (b) The Warden shall serve as the review authority at the institutional level for unit team actions. (c) An inmate may appeal the Warden's decision to the Executive Panel within five working days of receipt of that decision. The inmate will receive a response to this appeal at the inmate's next appearance before the Executive Panel. (d) At least once every 60 to 90 days, the Executive Panel shall review the status of an inmate in a control unit to determine the inmate's readiness for release from the Unit. The Executive Panel shall consider those factors specified in §541.50(a), along with any recommendations by the unit team and Warden. The decision of the Executive Panel is communicated to the inmate. Ordinarily, the inmate is interviewed in person at this review. If the inmate refuses to appear for this review, or if there is other reason for not having an in-person review, this will be documented. (e) An inmate may appeal a decision of the Executive Panel, through the Administrative Remedy Procedure, directly to the Office of General Counsel, Bureau of Prisons within 30 calendar days from the date of the Executive Panel's response. [49 FR 32991, Aug. 17, 1984, as amended at 60 FR 46484, Sept. 6, 1995] (a) Only the Executive Panel may release an inmate from a control unit. The following factors are considered in the evaluation of an inmate's readiness for release from a control unit: (1) Relationship with other inmates and staff members, which demonstrates that the inmate is able to function in a less restrictive environment without posing a threat to others or to the orderly operation of the institution; (2) Involvement in work and recreational activities and assignments; (3) Adherence to institution guidelines and Bureau of Prisons rules and policy; (4) Personal grooming and cleanliness; and (5) Quarters sanitation. (b) An inmate released from a control unit may be returned: (1) To the institution from which the inmate was originally transferred; (2) To another federal or non-federal institution; or (3) Into the general population of the institution which has a control unit. [49 FR 32991, Aug. 17, 1984, as amended at 60 FR 46485, Sept. 6, 1995]
Title 28: Judicial Administration
PART 541—INMATE DISCIPLINE AND SPECIAL HOUSING UNITS
Subpart D—Control Unit Programs
§ 541.40 Purpose and scope.
§ 541.41 Institutional referral.
§ 541.42 Designation of Hearing Administrator.
§ 541.43 Hearing procedure.
§ 541.44 Decision of the Hearing Administrator.
§ 541.45 Executive Panel review and appeal.
§ 541.46 Programs and services.
§ 541.47 Admission to control unit.
§ 541.48 Search of control unit inmates.
§ 541.49 Review of control unit placement.
§ 541.50 Release from a control unit.
