Paroling policy for prisoners serving aggregate U.S. and D.C. Code sentences.
28 C.F.R. § 2.65
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) Applicability. This regulation applies to all prisoners serving any combination of U.S. and D.C. Code sentences that have been aggregated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Such individuals are considered for parole on the basis of a single parole eligibility and mandatory release date on the aggregate sentence. Pursuant to § 2.5, every decision made by the Commission, including the grant, denial, and revocation of parole, is made on the basis of the aggregate sentence.
(b) Basic policy. The Commission shall apply the guidelines at § 2.20 to the prisoner's U.S. Code crimes, and the guidelines of the District of Columbia Board of Parole to the prisoner's D.C. Code crimes.
(c) Determining the federal guideline range. The Commission shall first consider the U.S. Code offenses pursuant to the guidelines at § 2.20, and shall determine the appropriate number of months to be served (the prisoner's “federal time”). The Commission shall deem the “federal time” to have commenced with the prisoner's initial commitment on the current aggregate sentence, including jail time.
(d) Decisions above the federal guideline range. The “federal time” thus determined may be a decision within, below or above the federal guidelines, but it shall not exceed the limit of the U.S. Code sentence, i.e., the number of months that would be required by the statutory release date if the U.S. Code sentence is less than five years, or the two-thirds date if the U.S. Code sentence is five years or more. The D.C. Code criminal behavior may not be used as an aggravating offense factor, but may be used as predictive basis for exceeding the federal guideline range to account for the actual degree and/or seriousness of risk.
(e) Scheduling the D.C. parole hearing. The Commission shall then schedule a D.C. parole hearing to be conducted not later than four months prior to the parole eligibility date, or the expiration of the “federal time,” whichever is later. At the D.C. parole hearing the Commission shall apply the point score system of the D.C. Board of Parole, pursuant to the regulations of the D.C. Board of Parole, to determine the prisoner's suitability for release on parole.
(f) Granting parole. In determining whether or not to grant parole pursuant to the point score system of the D.C. Board of Parole, and the length of any continuance for a rehearing if parole is denied, the Commission shall presume that the eligible prisoner has satisfied basic accountability for the D.C. Code offense behavior. However, the Commission retains the authority to consider any unusual offense circumstances pursuant to 28 DCMR 204.22 to deny parole despite a favorable point score, and to set a rehearing date beyond the ordinary schedule. The Commission shall also consider whether the totality of the prisoner's offense behaviors (U.S. and D.C. Code) warrants a continuance to reflect the true seriousness or the degree of the risk that the release of the prisoner would pose for the public welfare. Nonetheless, the Commission shall not deny parole or order a continuance, solely on the ground of punishment for the U.S. Code offenses standing alone, or on grounds that have been adequately accounted for in a decision to exceed the federal guideline range.
(g) Hearings. The Commission shall, in accordance with § 2.12 of these regulations, conduct an initial hearing to determine the federal time. This portion of the decision shall be subject to appeal pursuant to § 2.26 of these regulations. A D.C. parole hearing to determine the prisoner's suitability for parole under the D.C. guidelines shall be conducted as ordered at the initial hearing. Prior to the D.C. parole hearing, statutory interim hearings shall be conducted pursuant to § 2.14 of these regulations, including an interim hearing at eligibility on the aggregate sentence if no other interim hearing would be held. After the D.C. parole hearing, rehearings shall be conducted pursuant to the rules and policy guidelines of the D.C. Board of Parole, if release on parole is not granted.
(h) Revocation decisions. Violations of parole are violations on the aggregate sentence, and a parole violation warrant is therefore issued under the authority of the aggregate sentence. With regard to the reparole decision, the Commission shall follow the guidelines at § 2.21 of these rules, but rehearings shall be scheduled according to the guidelines of the D.C. Board of Parole.
(i) Forfeiture of parole time. All time on parole shall be forfeited if required under § 2.52(c) and § 2.105(d) of this part. If not, the Commission shall divide the total time on parole according to the proportional relationship of the DC sentence to the U.S. sentence, and shall order the forfeiture of the portion corresponding to the DC sentence pursuant to § 2.105(d). For example, if the parolee is serving a two-year DC Code sentence and a three-year U.S. Code sentence, the DC sentence is two fifths, or 40 percent, of the aggregate sentence (five years). If the parolee was on parole 100 days and parole is revoked for a misdemeanor conviction, a period of 40 days is subject to possible forfeiture under § 2.105(d).
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-28.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026