Sample elderly compassionate release petition (2018)

What the law says now (October 2026). A federal judge can reduce a sentence for “extraordinary and compelling” reasons (reasons that are especially unusual and convincing). You must first ask the warden in writing. You can file in court 30 days after the warden gets the request, or sooner if you finish the Bureau of Prisons’ appeals (18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A)). The judge also weighs the sentencing factors in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). See who may seek compassionate release.

The Sentencing Commission’s policy statement. Since November 1, 2023, U.S.S.G. § 1B1.13 applies to motions filed by prisoners as well as by the Bureau of Prisons, and a reduction must be consistent with it (18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A)). Posts from 2020–2023 that say courts were “not bound” by it describe the law before that date. Rutherford (2026) held the policy statement invalid to the extent it lets a non-retroactive change in law count as a reason.
Bureau of Prisons rules. The Bureau’s current policy is Program Statement 5050.51 (September 3, 2026). It has no 18-month life-expectancy rule, it dropped the child-caregiver, spouse-caregiver, and “other elderly” categories, and it lets people in halfway houses or on home confinement apply.
Age. A court may consider a person who is 65 or older, has a serious decline in health because of aging, and has served at least 10 years or 75 percent of the sentence, whichever is less (U.S.S.G. § 1B1.13(b)(2)). A separate rule covers people 70 or older who have served 30 years under 18 U.S.C. § 3559(c) (§ 3582(c)(1)(A)(ii)).

The Bureau’s old “Other Elderly Inmates” category (age 65 plus a set share of the sentence served, with no medical condition) was eliminated on September 3, 2026 (Program Statement 5050.51). Today, an older person generally needs an age-related decline in health (U.S.S.G. § 1B1.13(b)(2)), or must be 70 or older with 30 years served under the Bureau’s “New Law” elderly category. The 2018 sample below is kept for reference only.

How the old category worked

Under the Bureau’s 2018 policy (Program Statement 5050.49 § 4(c), replaced by Program Statement 5050.51 on September 3, 2026), a person could qualify under the Elderly Inmate without a Medical Condition (i.e., Other Elderly Inmates) category if they were 65 or older and had served either 10 years or 75 percent of their sentence, whichever was greater.

People who were 60 or older when they were sentenced were typically excluded from this category.

About this sample

Below is a sample compassionate release petition for a person who qualified under the Elderly Inmate without a Medical Condition (i.e., Other Elderly Inmates) category. It is based on a fictional elderly prisoner with a fictional history. It is meant to help you understand the process of seeking a compassionate release. These petitions are also called letters, applications, or forms.

If you or a loved one are thinking about filing a compassionate release petition, you may want a lawyer to help. Criminal Center regularly researches, drafts, and files compassionate release petitions for elderly prisoners who do not have a medical condition.

See our elderly inmate without a medical condition page for more about this category of compassionate release.

Sample compassionate release petition for an elderly inmate without a medical condition

Chris Williams

Reg. No. 45678-901

FCI Marianna

P.O. Box 7007

Marianna, FL 32447

May 5, 2018

_____ _____, Warden

FCI Marianna

3625 FCI Road

Marianna, FL 32446

RE: Compassionate Release Petition for an Elderly Inmate without a Medical Condition

Dear Warden _____:

My name is Chris Williams and I’m incarcerated at FCI Marianna. This letter serves as my petition for compassionate release under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A), U.S.S.G. § 1B1.13, and Program Statement 5050.51, Compassionate Release/Reduction in Sentence Procedures.

This petition is specifically made as to the Elderly Inmate without a Medical Condition (i.e., Other Elderly Inmates) category as discussed in Section 4(c) of the program statement. According to this program statement, inmates who are 65 years of age or older and who have served the greater of 10 years imprisonment or 75 percent of their sentence qualify for compassionate release.

By way of background, on May 2, 2008, I was sentenced to a term of 162 months imprisonment for money laundering. To date I have served a total of 120 months of this sentence. This past April I turned 67 years old.

During my time in prison I have worked hard to correct the ills that brought me to engage in crime. This has included extensive programming in my prison’s Psychology Department. I have completed numerous programs, to include the Drug Education Class, Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP), AA/NA, Smart Recovery, and a handful of other classes. I have done everything in my power to correct my thinking errors and turn away from financial crime. In addition, I have maintained a spotless disciplinary record and have been gainfully employed as a librarian in my prison’s Education Department.

While I know that this compassionate release petition, and the governing policy provision, is only dependent on my age and time served, I do believe that I would be a good selection. During my imprisonment I have consistently shown that I am willing and able to abide by Bureau of Prisons rules and regulations, participate in treatment programs to correct my thinking errors, and maintain contact with my family. In short, I have done what people are supposed to do in prison: I have grown and turned away from crime.

I appreciate you considering this compassionate release request. I know that the Bureau does not grant many of these, but I truly believe that I would be a quality candidate for such relief. I look forward to receiving a response from your office and to hopefully going home.

Respectfully Submitted,

Chris Williams

Encl.

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