Federal Sentence Computation Applied to The Interaction of Federal And State Sentences

This article explains the basic steps and principles followed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) when computing a federal sentence. The article likewise focuses on the impact, if any, on the federal sentence computation when a defendant is also sentenced by state authorities. This is probably the single most confusing and least understood federal sentencing issue. The policy of the BOP concerning where the federal sentence is served is also addressed. Examples provided in the article seek to clarify the sentencing computation.