The Self-Surrender Prep Checklist.

Confirm the self-surrender date and reporting time in writing.

The court order is the legal source; the U.S. Marshals Service will follow up with the facility name once BOP designates.

Confirm with your attorney that designation has been requested with BOP.

Sign a durable power of attorney — financial AND medical.

Pick the most level-headed person you trust. Notarize. Give copies to your attorney and to that person.

Update your will. Even a simple one. Even now.

Save attorney contact info somewhere your spouse can find it without you.

Build a complete inventory of every account, debt, recurring payment, and subscription.

Spreadsheet. Print it. Your spouse will need this on day 1 of you being gone.

Designate the household financial decision-maker. One person, not a committee.

Move critical bills to autopay or pre-pay 6 months.

Mortgage, insurance, utilities, phone for spouse, tuition.

Plan the income gap honestly.

Severance, unemployment, savings drawdown, family support — write the actual numbers.

Set aside a commissary fund.

BOP currently caps monthly commissary spending at $360 per inmate. Plan for 12 months.

Talk to a CPA about tax filings during incarceration.

Decide who is told, when, and by whom.

Spouse and immediate family first. A phone tree prevents 40 chaotic conversations.

Find a family therapist if you don’t have one.

Kids especially. Don’t try to absorb this alone.

Plan the conversation with children.

Age-appropriate, honest, and brief. Promise nothing you can’t deliver from inside.

Decide what schools and youth coaches are told and by whom.

Sketch the post-surrender visit cadence with your spouse.

Get a full physical, dental cleaning, and eye exam.

Refill every prescription. Ask your doctor for a documented list of current medications and dosages.

You will be asked at intake. Mistakes can interrupt your supply for weeks.

Get a copy of your medical records and a signed letter for any chronic condition.

BOP intake will ask. Bring documentation.

Schedule the dental work you’ve been putting off.

BOP dental focuses on extractions, not preservation.

Get prescription eyeglasses you can bring with you.

Plain frames. No designer logos. Bring the case.

Birth certificate, Social Security card, passport → lockbox at home.

Tax returns up to date.

Memorize the 5 phone numbers that matter.

Spouse, attorney, parents, two adult children or siblings. You cannot bring a contact list.

Write a sealed letter for your kids.

Optional. Dated. Read on day 1, day 30, day 90, or never.

Set up email forwarding from your accounts to your spouse.

Hand off your password manager and 2FA recovery codes.

Forward postal mail to a trusted person.

Pause or hand off social media. Decide consciously.

Cancel or transfer business accounts (LLC banking, payroll, vendor portals).

Confirm your designated facility and report time.

Read the facility’s A&O handbook cover to cover.

Linked from every facility profile on countime.net.

Read the facility’s voluntary-surrender instructions if they publish one.

Build your TRULINCS contact list (people who can email you inside).

Up to ~30 names. Spouse, attorney, employer if relevant, family, 2–3 close friends.

Build your phone list separately. Some facilities require it pre-approved.

Send approved visitors a heads-up to expect a BP-629 visitor form.

Identify your ride to the facility.

Someone calm. Not someone you’ll want to hug for 20 minutes at the door.

Pack exactly what BOP allows: eyeglasses (in case), wedding ring, religious medallion. Nothing else.

Most facilities will send anything else home at your expense.

Send your wallet contents home in advance. Cards. Cash. License goes with you for ID.

Confirm your spouse has the facility’s commissary deposit instructions.

Western Union, MoneyGram, or check via Lockbox — facility-specific.

Write down the facility’s address, phone, and your inmate-locator-search name (last, first, middle).

A real family meal. However your family does that.

Sleep. Real sleep. Not Ambien-and-wine sleep.

Confirm transportation and the route.

Final attorney call — any last questions about the report itself.

Quiet day before. Not a goodbye party. A movie. A walk. Sleep.

Arrive 60–90 minutes before your reporting time.

Bring: government photo ID + court report letter. That is it.

Do NOT bring: phone, wallet, watch, jewelry beyond a plain wedding ring, cash, snacks, books, anything else.

Tell the front desk your name and that you are reporting under court order. Hand them the letter.

Trust the intake process. R&D (Receiving & Discharge) takes 4–8 hours.

Your first phone call home is typically allowed within 24–72 hours.

Set up commissary deposits. BOP currently caps spending at $360/month.

Create your TRULINCS account (corrlinks.com) so your person can email you.

Mail a letter on day 1. Even one paragraph. Mail counts.

Order books only through approved publisher channels (Amazon ships to BOP at most facilities; paperback only).

Plan your first visit. Usually after intake clears, ~30–60 days.

Get yourself a therapist if you don’t have one. This is hard on you too.