Reuters: New U.S. rule lets federal inmates earn credits for early release
Federal inmates who successfully participate in recidivism-reduction programs will qualify for early release from prison under new rules unveiled on Thursday by the U.S. Justice Department.
The rules, mandated by Congress in a 2018 federal law called the First Step Act, allow inmates to earn 10 to 15 days of “time credits” shaved off their sentence for every 30 days of participation in certain programs or activities offered to them by the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
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Criminal justice advocates who lobbied for the First Step Act’s passage lauded the new finalized rule on Thursday, saying it is now in line with what Congress intended.
“Today’s announcement is relief for thousands of people who have done the hard work to turn their lives around, and rejoin their families and communities as productive, law-abiding citizens,” Holly Harris, the president of Justice Action Network, said in a statement.