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Abstract: 

The rules for admittance to Bureau of Prison Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programs (RDAP) have a direct impact on an inmate’s eligibility for early release—inmates completing the program can be released before their full term is served, while those who do not go through a RDAP program cannot. In Close v. Thomas, the 9th Circuit was asked to clarify conflicting priorities in a suit filed by an inmate who claimed he was denied access to the program and therefore denied an opportunity for early release. The court concluded there was no ambiguity, ruling that Congress directed BOP to provide RDAP services to eligible offenders “with priority ...based on an eligible prisoner’s proximity to release date.”

Keywords: Close v. Thomas , 653 F.3d 970

Affiliations:  1: Executive Editor.