There are a plethora of myths surrounding the reality of what it is to be a federal inmate. Non-violent, first-time offender’s facing federal prison time are filled with fear as to what their approaching environment, as well as fellow federal inmates will be like. Here are 5 myths to ignore if you are about to become a federal inmate.

Myth: All Federal Inmates who are Drug-Offenders are Violent.

Only 5.4% of sentenced drug-offenders used weapons in 2012. The majority of federal inmates are incarcerated for non-violent crimes.

Myth: Federal Prisons are Filled with Inmates who Committed Violent Crimes.

The federal government does not have trials for violent crimes, those are handled by local and state authorities. The federal government focuses mostly on non-violent crimes, drug offenses, immigration and property crimes. Therefore, the majority of federal inmates are non-violent offenders.

Myth: Federal Inmates are Hardened Criminals who are Repeated Offenders.

53% of federal inmates have little or no prior criminalrecord. Contrary to popular belief, most federal inmates are first-time offenders of non-violent crimes.

Myth: Most Federal Inmates are Serving Time for a Violent Crime.

According to The Bureau of Prisons, 46% of federal inmates are incarcerated for drug-related convictions in the federal system. Weapon related offenses, arson and explosives rank second, but still make-up only about 18% of the federal inmate population.All other offenses are in single digits.

Myth: Most Federal Inmates are Serving in a Maximum-Security Facility.

Out of the 122 prisons operated by the federal system, over half of the federal inmate population (54%) is serving in low-security or minimum-security facilities, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Almost a

third are in medium-security and about 12 percent are in high-security prisons.

Fearing the unknown is normal, and life as a federal inmate is one of the biggest unknowns. Rdap Dan addresses a lot of common concerns on his YouTube channel. If you have further questions or concerns on what it is like to be a federal inmate or about federal prison in general, please contact Dan at RdapDan. You do not have to go through this alone.