US · guidance
BOP Program Statement 5218.01 § 3
DESIGNATION CRITERIA
Inmates are designated to these units based on their need for a safe, structured environment less
restrictive than a Special Housing Unit (SHU) that is not integrated with the general population.
RUs are not Psychology Treatment Programs and therefore do not require inmates to sign the
BP-A0940, Agreement to Participate in Psychology Treatment Programs form or to volunteer for
programming or unit placement. Rather, they function as housing units where treatment is
available and encouraged but not required.
a. Target Population. RUs target medium and high security inmates identified as verified or
unverified PCs. The target inmate has consistently failed in attempting to integrate into a general
population setting, ordinarily at multiple institutions. Information from Correctional Services
documenting the inmate’s classification as a PC case and detailing the inmate's placement in
SHU at previous institutions will be considered when determining appropriateness for placement
in a RU.
b. Rationale for Placement. The inmate must meet one of the following criteria to be
considered for the RU:
■ The inmate refuses to enter general population at multiple institutions and their PC
status cannot be verified by staff.
■ The inmate is considered a verified PC case, ordinarily at multiple institutions.
c. Security Level. Ordinarily, only inmates classified as medium or high security are
appropriate.
d. Disciplinary Segregation (DS). Ordinarily, inmates will only be designated to a RU if they
are in DS status for refusing to return to general population. In accordance with the Program
Statement Special Housing Units, inmates can be released from SHU early if it is determined
they no longer require DS status. This provision may be useful for inmates in DS status for
refusing to return to general population and are otherwise appropriate for a RU. See section 6 of
this program statement for information regarding inmates already at a RU who are placed in
SHU for DS.
e. Mental Health Care Level. Inmates are typically designated to a RU at an institution
commensurate with their mental health care level.
5218.01 3/19/2026 PROPERTY OF US GOVERNMENT 2
History
PS 5218.01 dated 2026-03-19
Provenance
- Source
- bop.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-20
- Edition
- bop-ps-2026-09-20
- Content hash
fda6c9d5e946b827e9bd208b49bffb85873d369f09979b1b58d17ac237c97301
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