BOP Program Statement 5410.01 § 5

All sentenced inmates, regardless of eligibility status, will receive both a risk and need

assessment. The Prisoner Assessment Tool Targeting Estimated Risk and Needs (PATTERN) is

the recidivism risk assessment tool and part of the Bureau’s FSA-approved Risk and Needs

Assessment System. The PATTERN tool is completed during the inmate’s Initial Classification

and is used to assign each incoming inmate an initial recidivism risk level of Minimum, Low,

Medium, or High. The Standardized Prisoner Assessment for Reduction in Criminality

(SPARC-13) is the Bureau’s needs assessment system and the other half of the Bureau’s FSA-approved Risk and Needs Assessment System. It is used to assess the inmate in 13 need areas

which can be targeted to reduce the inmate’s risk of recidivating. See the Program Statement

First Step Act Needs Assessment.

After the inmate’s arrival to their designated facility for service of their sentence and during the

initial admission and orientation phase, the PATTERN and SPARC-13 assessments will be

completed. While PATTERN is completed during the inmate’s Initial Classification, the

SPARC-13 is a multi-part, multi-department assessment process. Ordinarily, the Initial

Classification is completed within 28 days of the inmate’s arrival, but completing the PATTERN

tool requires the inmate’s sentence computation to be completed. If the sentence computation is

incomplete, the Initial Classification should be delayed pending its completion, and the basis for

delay should be annotated on the inmate’s Program Review Report. The SPARC-13 is ordinarily

completed within the 30 days of an inmate’s arrival, however, portions of the SPARC-13

assessment require the inmate’s active participation. Failure on the inmate’s part to complete the

survey assessments timely will delay completion and negatively impact the inmate’s ability to

begin earning FTCs as the inmate will be considered “opted out,” and therefore is in non-earning

status regardless of eligibility to earn FTCs.

Using SPARC-13, staff will recommend and document EBRR programs and/or PAs for inmates

consistent with the requirements of the Program Statement First Step Act Needs Assessment.

If the inmate declines to participate in an EBRR program or PA which has been recommended

based on an identified needs area, the department staff assessing the need area will enter a

program decline code indicating the inmate’s opt out status; otherwise, the inmate will be placed

in the program or on a waitlist with the applicable assignment keyed into SENTRY by the

department staff assessing the need area.

Should an inmate later refuse or decline to participate in the recommended EBRR program or PA

for which they had been on a waitlist, staff will enter the applicable decline code in SENTRY,

and the inmate will be considered declined for the entire period on the waitlist. Any credits

earned during the waitlist period will be rescinded to reflect the inmate’s refusal.

P5410.01 11/18/2022 Federal Regulations from 28 CFR: this type. Implementing instructions: this type. 8

If an inmate fails to complete a recommended EBRR or PA to address an identified need area,

staff will enter the applicable fail or withdraw code into SENTRY, and the inmate will not be

considered to have opted out, and, therefore, in non-earning status. Inmates with cognitive or

physical disabilities may require more time or additional accommodations to complete an EBRR

program or PA. The Program Statement Management of Inmates with Disabilities provides

guidance on developing local accommodations. If questions about the impact of a disability on

earning FTC arise, staff may contact the Women and Special Populations Branch in the Reentry

Services Division.

During the inmate’s Initial Classification, the unit team will develop an Individualized Need Plan

for the inmate based on the results of the inmate’s needs assessment and related

recommendations provided by the departments that assessed the need area as documented in

SENTRY and Insight Feedback. Recommendations may include EBRR programs and/or

structured curriculum-based PAs designed to address the inmate’s identified need areas and

based on the inmate’s ability to complete the program/activity.

Additional groups, programs, classes, or unstructured activities may be recommended to assist

the inmate in establishing positive institutional adjustment and involvement in pro-social

activities. The inmate’s risk level, needs assessment results, and program recommendations will

be documented on the inmate’s Insight Individualized Need Plan, and the inmate will receive a

copy.

An inmate will be reassessed for both risk level and needs at each regularly scheduled Program

Review throughout the remainder of the inmate’s incarceration at a BOP institution. As

defined in the Program Statement Inmate Classification and Program Review, the unit team

will document the inmate’s progress toward recommended goals and update the Individualized

Need Plan, as appropriate. The inmate will receive a copy of their updated Individualized Need

Plan which will include the reassessed risk level, need areas, and program recommendations.

Inmates placed in prerelease custody, and who are not subject to regularly scheduled

program review, will not receive reassessments. For inmates in pre-release placement,

reassessments will be completed automatically on a monthly basis and will capture changes

which occur during prerelease placement.