3,100 inmates to be released as Trump administration implements criminal justice reform
Justice Department officials on Friday announced that 3,100 inmates are being released from federal prisons across the country because of a change in how their good-behavior time is calculated — a significant step, they said, in the implementation of a new criminal justice reform law.
The announcement came at a news conference to discuss the Trump administration’s progress on putting into place the First Step Act, a criminal justice bill President Trump signed into law in December. Officials also announced they were redirecting $75 million in funding for fiscal 2019 to help with implementation of the act and instituting a new system that will assess inmates’ risk of reoffending and provide tailored programming that could help them get out earlier.
“The department intends to implement this law forcefully, fully and on time,” Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said.
The First Step Act is one of the signature pieces of legislation passed with bipartisan support during the Trump administration. It shortens sentences for some inmates — partly through a change in the credit they are given for good behavior — and increases job training and other programs. It also requires the new risk assessment system, which officials said Friday will allow inmates to complete in-prison programs and, for some, receive “earned time” credits to get out earlier.
Read the full article as it originally appeared in The Washington Post
