Larry Nassar, ex-MSU and USA gymnastics doctor, was recently sentenced to 60 years for Federal Child Pornography charges. He is also pending sentencing in the State of Michigan for Sexual Assault. Larry Nasser is in the primary custody of the federal government and a federal judge ruled he must serve his federal sentence before beginning to serve time on his state charges.

Where will he serve his federal sentence? At the time of designation to a Federal facility, any individual with more than 30 years remaining to serve, will be classified as “high” security. Based on his sentence of 60 years, Larry will be classified as a “high” security level offender and designated to the United States
Penitentiary. The Bureau of Prisons currently has nine facilities that are designed to house a significant portion of sexual offenders. The primary goal of these institutions is to reduce the need to place sex offenders in protective custody, and to create an institutional climate conducive to voluntary participation in rehabilitation and treatment. The United States Penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona is the only high-security facility designed to house sex offenders and offer these offenders rehabilitative treatment.

In the Bureau of Prisons, offenders of this type have a difficult time adjusting and remaining in the general population in facilities not designed to house a significant number of sex offenders. These types of offenders are rarely welcome and often forced to request protective custody or risk the chance of being assaulted. This is especially true at “high” security level facilities.

Based on the sentence imposed by the federal judge, Larry Nasser will serve his sentence at a United States Penitentiary.

The Chief of the Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) in Grand Prairie, Texas, has the option of waiving the time remaining to serve and placing an individual in a lower security level facility. However, this is unlikely, since the Bureau of Prisons has a high-security level facility designed to house
individuals convicted of sexual offenses. Additionally, Nasser will be classified as a “Broad Publicity” case based on the national media attention this case has received. It is unlikely he will be able to be housed in any facility not designed for sex offenders. If he is placed in a facility not designed for sex offenders, it will be a matter of time before he is moved to restrictive housing as a protective custody case and reviewed for transfer based on threats to his safety.

Nasser should be designated to the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona. This facility will meet his security needs and provide the best opportunity to serve his sentence in a facility designed to reduce his need for protective custody.