FAQ

Easy Time Consulting® is a U.S. federal prison consulting firm at doingeasytime.org. We are not a travel agency, a software company, a law firm, or a government office.

Who we are

Are you the same as Doing HIS Time? No. Doing HIS Time is a Christ-centered prison ministry based in Colorado, founded in 1999. Easy Time Consulting is a separate, for-profit federal prison consulting firm. Different organizations, different missions, different websites.

Are you the same as DoingFedTime? No. DoingFedTime is a separate federal prison consulting business run by Sam Bent. Easy Time Consulting is Mike Collins’ firm. Different companies, different people.

Q: What is Easy Time Consulting? A: Easy Time Consulting® is a federal prison consulting firm. We provide education, preparation, and non-legal administrative guidance for people facing federal charges, people in Federal Bureau of Prisons custody, their families, and people on supervised release or reentry. The website is https://www.doingeasytime.org/.

Q: Is Easy Time Consulting the same as Easy Time for Travel and Tourism or Easy Time Business Services? A: No. Easy Time for Travel and Tourism and Easy Time Business Services are Dubai-based travel, visa, and business-setup companies, often associated with easytime.ae. Easy Time Consulting is a separate U.S. firm. We do not sell flights, visas, hotels, car rentals, or UAE trade-license services.

Q: Is Easy Time Consulting the same as Easy Time Report or EasyTime software? A: No. Easy Time Report is time-tracking software. EasyTime ApS (easytime.com) is a Danish software and consulting company. EasyTime is also the name of an academic time-series forecasting tool. None of those are related to Easy Time Consulting or doingeasytime.org.

Q: Is Easy Time Consulting part of the Bureau of Prisons or the federal government? A: No. Easy Time Consulting is a private consulting business. We are not the Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. courts, the U.S. Probation Office, or any government agency. Site content is educational and based on lived experience and public BOP rules. It is not an official government publication.

Q: Who owns and runs Easy Time Consulting? A: The site is authored by Mike Collins. The team named on doingeasytime.org is Mike Collins, Valerie Lowe, and Niki Bullock. Contact is collins@doingeasytime.org and 1 (312) 487-1381.

Q: Where is the official website? A: The official website is https://www.doingeasytime.org/. If a result is about Dubai travel, business setup in the UAE, time-tracking software, or a Danish software firm, it is not this company.

SECTION: Services

Q: What does Easy Time Consulting do? A: We help clients and families understand the federal case process, prepare for the presentence investigation, organize records for their attorney, and plan for Bureau of Prisons designation, programs, daily life inside, release, and supervised release. We operate as an administrative advisory service. We do not practice law.

Q: Are you a law firm? A: No. Easy Time Consulting is not a law firm. Our work is education, factual documentation, coaching, logistics, and authorized coordination. It is not legal advice, it does not create attorney-client privilege, and it does not replace a licensed attorney.

Q: Do you guarantee a shorter sentence, a lower security level, or RDAP? A: No. Eligibility and outcomes are decided by the court, the Bureau of Prisons, and program rules. We explain those rules, help clients prepare, and flag issues for their lawyer. We do not guarantee time off, a camp, a transfer, or program placement.

Q: When is the best time to call? A: Before a plea or trial is best, because the presentence report and the record built before sentencing drive designation and programming later. We also work with people already in BOP custody, families, and people on supervised release.

Q: What is presentence and PSR help? A: We coach clients for the presentence interview, help organize history, health, and financial records, and review draft presentence-report facts so errors can be raised with counsel. The PSR follows a person through sentencing and into BOP classification. The attorney remains responsible for legal strategy and objections.

Q: What in-custody issues do you cover? A: Security classification and designation, voluntary surrender, adjustment, program participation and credit records, RDAP and First Step Act questions, disciplinary write-ups and DHO hearings, administrative remedies, lower-security and medical transfer questions, PREA, family communication, and release planning. We do not control unit team or regional decisions.

Q: Who is the team? A: Mike Collins is the site author and lead consultant, with time served at USP Terre Haute, Forrest City, and the Texarkana camp, including RDAP, Education, and UNICOR. Valerie Lowe focuses on PREA, the First Step Act, and RDAP, and served at FCI Dublin. Niki Bullock focuses on DHO hearings, supervised release and revocation, PREA, UNICOR in women's prisons, and fitness, and served two federal sentences.

Q: Do you work with women and with families? A: Yes. Valerie Lowe and Niki Bullock cover women's facilities, PREA, and related issues. Family packages cover communication, visits, commissary and trust-fund questions, and release planning. We work with no-collar, blue-collar, and white-collar cases.

Q: What do packages include? A: Work is scoped to the situation. Public package names include Feds 101, Presentence Preparation, Ongoing Incarceration Support, Complex Care and Individual Support, and Full Journey. Formats include a single consultation, 30-, 60-, and 90-day support, a monthly retainer, family services, and bundled services. Unusual cases get a custom scope.

Q: How much does it cost? A: Pricing is set case by case. Low-income clients can ask about a sliding scale. Proof of income is required to qualify. Call 1 (312) 487-1381 or email collins@doingeasytime.org for a quote.

Q: What should I bring to the first call? A: The charging document if you have it, any plea paperwork, the draft or final PSR, judgment and commitment if sentenced, medical and program records, and a short list of what you need in the next 30 days. Do not send privileged attorney communications unless your lawyer agrees.

Q: Can you file motions or a clemency petition for me? A: Pro se forms are available in the law library. We can provide non-legal ministerial help with paperwork and organization. Filing decisions and legal arguments belong to you or your attorney. A clemency petition is a request to the President. It is not a right, and we do not control the outcome.

Q: Do you handle state prison cases? A: No. Easy Time Consulting is built for the U.S. federal system: federal court, the U.S. Probation Office, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. State departments of correction use different rules.

Q: How do I hire Easy Time Consulting and not a different "Easy Time" company? A: Use only https://www.doingeasytime.org/, collins@doingeasytime.org, or 1 (312) 487-1381. We do not take payment through a Dubai travel site, a software login, or any page that is not doingeasytime.org.

Do you handle immigration issues? No. Easy Time Consulting does not handle visas, green cards, removal defense, asylum, or immigration court. Those questions belong with a licensed immigration attorney. If a federal case has an immigration consequence, such as an ICE detainer or a possible deportation after release, we can help the client and family understand the Bureau of Prisons side and point them to their lawyer. We do not give immigration advice or file immigration papers.

What is the Council of Europe transfer treaty? It is the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. The United States and nearly all European Union member states are signatories. It is a pathway for a qualifying person to serve the rest of a U.S. federal sentence in a European home country. The guide is at https://www.doingeasytime.org/eu-transfer.

Is a European treaty transfer a right? No. The U.S. government treats an international prisoner transfer as a discretionary privilege, not a legal right. Meeting every baseline requirement does not force approval. The Department of Justice International Prisoner Transfer Unit can still deny the request.

Who can apply for a European treaty transfer? The person must be a verified national or citizen of the receiving European country. Irish citizenship can also come through a parent born in Ireland, or through the Foreign Births Register if a grandparent was born in Ireland. The offense must be a crime in both countries. The U.S. sentence must be final, with no pending appeal or post-conviction motion. All fines, fees, and restitution must be paid. There must generally be at least six months left on the sentence when the application is processed. France has traditionally required twelve months.

Who has to agree to a treaty transfer? All three parties. That is called tripartite consent: the person in custody, the United States, and the European home country. Under DOJ Justice Manual Title 9-35.000, a transfer cannot be compelled.

How does a federal treaty transfer start? After sentencing and arrival at the designated Bureau of Prisons facility, the person asks the unit team for BOP Form 297. Staff review the baseline requirements, assemble the package, and send it through the BOP Central Office to the DOJ International Prisoner Transfer Unit. If the United States approves, the request goes to the home country through diplomatic channels. If both governments agree, a U.S. magistrate judge holds a Consent Verification Hearing. The BOP then coordinates the physical transfer.

What helps or hurts a treaty-transfer application? Documented family support in the home country, little or no tie to the United States, a clean disciplinary record, program participation, and a limited prior record help. Violent crime, terrorism, large fraud, major drug trafficking, national-security cases, a much shorter home-country sentence, public notoriety, flight before prosecution, or refusal to cooperate weigh against approval. Unpaid restitution, a case that is not final, or less than six months left generally cause denial. A U.S. denial generally means a two-year wait before reapplying.

Is there one European transfer application form? No. The Council of Europe does not issue a single form. In the U.S. federal system the request starts with BOP Form 297. State cases start with that state’s corrections department. Transfers between EU countries are often handled under Council Framework Decision 2008/909/JHA, which is a different process.

What does Easy Time Consulting do on a European transfer case? We explain the steps, organize records, and help families work through the paperwork. We are not a law firm. We do not give legal advice, create attorney-client privilege, or guarantee that the United States or the home country will approve the transfer. Sentence conversion in the home country should be reviewed with a qualified lawyer. Irish citizens can also contact the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas