# Justice Manual § 9-35.010: Introduction

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.010

## Section

- **Citation:** Justice Manual § 9-35.010
- **Heading:** Introduction
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** DOJ Justice Manual / Title 9: Criminal / 9-35.000 - International Prisoner Transfers / Justice Manual § 9-35.010

## Text

The International Prisoner Transfer Program began in 1976 after Congress passed enabling legislation (18 U.S.C.§§ 4100 - 4115) and the Federal Government negotiated the first in a series of treaties permitting the transfer of prisoners from the countries in which they had been convicted to their home countries where they will serve the imposed sentence. The United States is now party to twelve bilateral transfer treaties and two multilateral transfer conventions giving it, as of October 2018, transfer treaty relationships with 83 countries and territories. See
https://www.justice.gov/criminal-oia/list-participating-countries
. These agreements allow the United States: (1) to transfer convicted foreign nationals in state or federal custody back to their home country, where the receiving country assumes responsibility for enforcing the sentence; and (2) to receive the transfer of Americans convicted abroad and to assume responsibility for enforcing the foreign sentence. Transfer can only occur if the pertinent statutory and treaty requirements are satisfied, including receiving the consent of the sentencing country, the receiving country and the prisoner.  For information about the initial impetus for the program and its benefits, please contact the International Prisoner Transfer Unit.

Because the United States Attorneys’ Offices are primarily involved in the transfer of foreign nationals from the United States, the focus of this Chapter is on the handling of requests to transfer foreign national prisoners from the United States to foreign countries.

Additional information about the transfer program and its procedures may be found at the IPTU Web site:
http://www.justice.gov/criminal/oeo/iptu/
.

[updated January 2020]

## Nearby sections

- [Justice Manual § 9-35.010 Introduction](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.010.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.011 Statutory and Treaty Requirements](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.011.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.012 Prisoner Transfer Determination](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.012.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.013 Processing of Prisoner Transfer Requests](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.013.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.014 Effect of Prisoner Transfer and the Administration of the Transferred Sentence](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.014.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.015 Reconsideration of Prisoner Transfer Requests](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.015.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.016 Consent Verification Hearings](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.016.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.017 Role of the United States Attorneys' Offices in the Transfer Process](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.017.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.018 Limitations on United States Attorneys' Offices Regarding Oral and Written Promises of Transfer During Plea Negotiations](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.018.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.019 Relationship of Prisoner Transfer to Extradition](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.019.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-35.020 AAG Memorandum Regarding the Transfer Program and the Role of the USAOs](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.020.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-35.010. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.