https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2023/11/20/bureau-of-prisons-backtracking-on-first-step-act-law/?sh=2f19d6bb116d
Recently, a J6er serving out his sentence at a minimum security facility reported that his early release to a half-way house in a couple of months have been retracted and he is to serve out his full sentence. This is another travesty of justice happening at the BOP level. More advocacy and lawsuits are needed to force the inept government to do their jobs.
It has been five years since President Donald Trump signed the sweeping criminal justice regulation called the First Step Act (FSA). FSA allowed many federal inmates to earn credits to reduce their sentence or to transition to home confinement for a part of their sentence by participating in meaningful programming and activities.
FSA has been plagued by missteps by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). First the agency was caught off guard in January 2022 when the final rule on FSA was published in the Federal Register. It was only then that the BOP realized Congress’ intent of reducing the prison populations by pushing many low and minimum inmates to have get out of prison sooner and/or to put them in the community for a greater part of their sentence.
The BOP has the ability to live up to the law and send more prisoners to home confinement if it had the will to do so. Right now, prisoners have few options to bring their case through the BOP’s administrative process because neither the prisoner, nor the staff are clear on the FSA rules or interpretation. Too often, prisoners find out their dates so late that the administrative process is moot since any remedy would come late from a process that could take months to resolve.
2024 should provide more clarity on FSA, but it will take more lawsuits to figure out the BOP’s position. Until then, prisoners are staying in prison longer than the law intended, costing taxpayers more money and diminishing hopes of many minimum security inmates who could become contributing members to society much sooner.
Recently, a J6er serving out his sentence at a minimum security facility reported that his early release to a half-way house in a couple of months have been retracted and he is to serve out his full sentence. This is another travesty of justice happening at the BOP level. More advocacy and lawsuits are needed to force the inept government to do their jobs.
It has been five years since President Donald Trump signed the sweeping criminal justice regulation called the First Step Act (FSA). FSA allowed many federal inmates to earn credits to reduce their sentence or to transition to home confinement for a part of their sentence by participating in meaningful programming and activities.
FSA has been plagued by missteps by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). First the agency was caught off guard in January 2022 when the final rule on FSA was published in the Federal Register. It was only then that the BOP realized Congress’ intent of reducing the prison populations by pushing many low and minimum inmates to have get out of prison sooner and/or to put them in the community for a greater part of their sentence.
The BOP has the ability to live up to the law and send more prisoners to home confinement if it had the will to do so. Right now, prisoners have few options to bring their case through the BOP’s administrative process because neither the prisoner, nor the staff are clear on the FSA rules or interpretation. Too often, prisoners find out their dates so late that the administrative process is moot since any remedy would come late from a process that could take months to resolve.
2024 should provide more clarity on FSA, but it will take more lawsuits to figure out the BOP’s position. Until then, prisoners are staying in prison longer than the law intended, costing taxpayers more money and diminishing hopes of many minimum security inmates who could become contributing members to society much sooner.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2023/11/20/bureau-of-prisons-backtracking-on-first-step-act-law/?sh=2f19d6bb116d
Recently, a J6er serving out his sentence at a minimum security facility reported that his early release to a half-way house in a couple of months have been retracted and he is to serve out his full sentence. This is another travesty of justice happening at the BOP level. More advocacy and lawsuits are needed to force the inept government to do their jobs.
It has been five years since President Donald Trump signed the sweeping criminal justice regulation called the First Step Act (FSA). FSA allowed many federal inmates to earn credits to reduce their sentence or to transition to home confinement for a part of their sentence by participating in meaningful programming and activities.
FSA has been plagued by missteps by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). First the agency was caught off guard in January 2022 when the final rule on FSA was published in the Federal Register. It was only then that the BOP realized Congress’ intent of reducing the prison populations by pushing many low and minimum inmates to have get out of prison sooner and/or to put them in the community for a greater part of their sentence.
The BOP has the ability to live up to the law and send more prisoners to home confinement if it had the will to do so. Right now, prisoners have few options to bring their case through the BOP’s administrative process because neither the prisoner, nor the staff are clear on the FSA rules or interpretation. Too often, prisoners find out their dates so late that the administrative process is moot since any remedy would come late from a process that could take months to resolve.
2024 should provide more clarity on FSA, but it will take more lawsuits to figure out the BOP’s position. Until then, prisoners are staying in prison longer than the law intended, costing taxpayers more money and diminishing hopes of many minimum security inmates who could become contributing members to society much sooner.
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