Larry Nassar- Now at USP Tucson

Bruce Cameron MS, LPC-S, LSOTP, CPC

Ralph Miller

Federal Bureau of Prisons, Ret.

US Marshals transported Larry Nassar to the United States Pennitentiary Tucson, Arizona this past Saturday. This institution referred to as USP Tucson will be Nassar's home for many years to come.  This is not a "club fed" type of institution. These are high security prisons for offenders serving long terms sentenced to be housed in federal facilities.

Nassar's special treatment ends with his non-stop US Marshals movement from Michigan to Arizona. Now, Larry Nassar will finally face reality. Here are some of the issues before Nassar and those who are in charge of housing him.

Nassar will likely be placed in the Special Housing Unit aka SHU. I would speculate this will be for at least one week possibly longer.

Is Nassar suicidal? This is the biggest question currently at hand. Let's face it, Nassar possesses many characteristics of a suicidal inmate as a white middle-aged sex offender, facing a long sentence who has garnered worldwide publicity.

These are static variables that make him a suicide risk. Many inmate suicides take place in the SHU, so an appropriate timeline of placement there will be in order. SHU is also a place to keep an offender safe from other offenders.

SHU will become where Nassar eats, alone. He may be able to perform recreational activities in a "Rec Cell".  He'll likely, almost definitely, be placed in a cell with its own shower. He might be placed in a cell on the range, which is easily visible and accessible to correctional officers, should he become acutely suicidal etc.

I suspect Nassar, if not suicidal, will be placed in general population relatively quickly. USP Tucson "happens" to be a facility where nearly 50% of the inmate population are sex offenders. This being said, Nassar will be among his peers and thus the risk of for example, a gang member "thumping" him is reduced…not removed but reduced.

Nassar will likely be able to have a small number of approved visitors on his Visiting List. This will take several weeks to assemble.

Here is a "By the Book" account from the USP website of what happens to "garden variety" USP sex offender admits:

Upon Nassar's arrival, he will complete a social interview with his Unit Team . One question Nassar will be asked is if he knows of any reason he can't be released to general population.  As long he does not have any concerns and his unit team does not identify any safety issues, Nassar will be placed in general population.

As long as Nassar is not a disciplinary problem or safety concerns arise with other inmates in general population, it is expected that Nassar will remain at USP Tucson for a number of years.  He is classified as a high security inmate and will remain at that level until March 2039 when he has less than 30 years remaining to serve on his sentence.  It is possible that if Nassar programs, follows his unit team's recommendations and is not a disciplinary problem, he could be transferred to a medium security level facility prior to 2039.  USP Tucson would make the request to the Chief of the Designation and Sentence Computation Center who has the ability to approve placement in a medium security facility. 

If and when Nassar is ever transferred to a medium security facility, it is expected that he would be placed at one of the sex offender management facilities based on the nature of his offense and the national media attention his case received.   

Nassar will meet with his unit team within 28 days for his initial program review where they will discuss expectations and recommend programs. 

USP Tucson has the non-residential sex offender program.  It is voluntary and participation usually does not begin until an offender has 22-36 months remaining to serve on his sentence. 

He will have access to visiting, correspondence and telephone privileges, however, some restrictions can be applied to victims, children and others deemed inappropriate due to the inmate's risk to engage in sexually offensive behavior.

His access to email could be restricted if it is determined his offense, conduct, or other personal history indicates a propensity to offend through the use of email or jeopardizes the safety, security, orderly operation of the correctional facility, or the protection of the public or staff, should be seriously considered for restriction. I suspect he won't be given email for a while!

For more information about Federal Bureau of Prisons issues, please visit:

www.federalprisonauthority.com  or contact Bruce Cameron / Ralph Miller at 214-431-2032.