Updates
Recent BOP/DOJ and Congressional Updating Regarding First Step Act [FSA]
Two years after enactment of the First Step Act (12/21/18), the Attorney General recently submitted a progress summary reviewing FSA implementation, the status of recidivism reduction programs/activities, and the still developing ‘Risk & Needs Assessment System’ – also including recidivism data from 2020; and noting advancements to re-entry, substance abuse treatment, home confinement, and compassionate…
Further FSA Update
Regarding the most recent FSA updates – two issues are initially worth comment: * For earned time credits FSA/BOP note completed ‘days’ of programming and ‘hours’ of programming accumulated, but how many hours constitutes a day remained vague. It’s confirmed that in practice eight hours of programming completed will amount to one day accounted by…
January 2020 Updates to First Step Act – Earned Credits Programming Still in Development and Not Fully Implemented [Could be Another Year or Two]
As of January 15th 2020 – all BOP inmates will receive assignment for participation in evidence-based recidivism reduction (EBRR) programs and productive activities. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) notes on 1/17/20 that it “continues to make significant progress towards the successful implementation of the First Step Act (FSA)” and “is continuing its work on…
DOJ Announces Release of Inmates Under First Step Act and Publishes FSA ‘Risks and Needs Assessment System’
The Department of Justice announced on 7/19/19 with regards to the First Step Act (FSA) that over 3,100 federal inmates are being released, prioritization of resources fully funding FSA have been secured, and the awaited publication of FSA’s ‘Risk and Needs Assessment System’ (RNAS) is completed and now available. Rehabilitative programming and earned time credits…
Elderly Offender Home Detention / First Step Act / Compassionate Release
BOP issued a revised Compassionate Release program statement in January 2019 regarding elderly offender home confinement and recent considerations of the First Step Act. Programs are expanding for both elderly and terminally ill inmates better suited for home confinement – either lower risk level/lower needs – or terminal illness and Compassionate Release Sentence Reduction. Statutory…
Recent BOP Revisions to RDAP Policies
The BOP has revised aspects of their Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) as published in the Federal Register and set to become policy on May 26, 2016. Criteria prohibiting early release for specific offenses like firearm possession have unfortunately remained in place, but previous criteria for prior such convictions precluding an individual’s eligibility for early…
Justice Advocacy Group Staff Highlight
The Justice Advocacy Group prides itself on having the right individuals on staff contributing to a project’s goals and ideal end result. Ivy Woolf Turk joining our firm has proven quite valuable, especially to female clients heading into the federal system. Ivy’s breadth of knowledge regarding female federal institutions is thorough and the benefit to…
Bipartisan Effort to Reduce the Federal Prison Population
Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) announced they will seek reductions in the number of federal prisoners and the substantial associated costs of incarceration, while additionally seeking to build upon programs designed to ease recidivism. Their proposed legislation compliments other bills recently introduced in Congress intended to reduce the federal prison population via…
U.S.S.C. Proposes Amendments to Fraud Related Guidelines
The United States Sentencing Commission recently voted to publish proposed amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines including significant revisions to areas governing fraud. The Commission also proposes an amendment to reflect the Drug Enforcement Agency’s rescheduling of hydrocodone. These amendments are preliminary proposals put forward for public comment. Subsequent to that period which runs through…
Former U.S. Representatives Announce Task Force on Federal Corrections
Former Congressional Representatives J.C. Watts and Alan Mollohan have established the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections – a nine member blue ribbon panel with a Congressional mandate to review challenges in the federal corrections system and identify practical policy responses. Charles Colson of Watergate era notoriety has been active in building faith-based prison…