The First Step Act is the most significance piece of prison reform legislation in more than 40 years. We encourage people to read the Act in its entirety. They may do so through the link below. We also include some salient points to consider.
The First Step Act includes many incentives that people can use to advance release dates, or advance the possibility for transition to home confinement. Some provisions that people should follow follows:
- See Page 11, line 1—A prisoner determined by the Bureau of Prisons to be at a minimum or low risk for recidivating, who, over two consecutive assessments, has not increased their risk of recidivism, shall earn an additional 5 days of time credits for every 30 days of successful participation in evidence-based recidivism reduction programming or productive activities.
- See page 21 of the Act, line 22: “RELATION TO OTHER INCENTIVE PROGRAMS—The incentives described in this subsection shall be in addition to any other rewards or incentives for which prisoner may be eligible.
- See page 55 of the Act, line 1: “place the prisoner in a facility as close as practicable to the prisoner’s primary residence, and to the extent practicable, in facility within 500 driving miles of that residence.
These incentives are the will of Congress. Yet the BOP has the task of carrying out the will of Congress. A long history of litigation shows that the BOP doesn’t always adhere to the will of congress. When that happens, a person must know how to self-advocate and use administrative remedy appropriately. For that reason, we offer resources to help. Please see the following links:
