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Bureau of Prisons May Recommend More Good Time Credit

For years, there have been rumors that Congress might increase good time credit for federal inmates. None have come to pass.

There is no parole in the federal system. The amount of good time is the same for everyone -- 54 days a year after the first year.

Sentencing Law and Policy reports that one of the speakers at the Sentencing Commission's hearings last week was Bureau of Prisons Director Harley Lappin. After discussing how overcrowded our prisons are, and what can be done to alleviate it, he said that the Justice Department is working with Congress on two proposals. The first would increase the good time from 54 days a year to 61 days (not much of a change.) The second proposal is more promising: [More...]

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Calling On Congress to Increase Federal Good Time for Inmates

Via Sentencing Law and Policy, Steve Sady, chief deputy federal public defender for the District of Oregon who argued the case of Barber v. Thomas in the Supreme Court, writes a commentary, Too Much Time in Prison, in tomorrow's National Law Journal.

In a nutshell: Congress mandated federal prisoners serve 85% of their time, but according to the odd formula the Bureau of Prisons uses to calculate the 85%, it turns out prisoners get only 12.8%, and the Supreme Court has upheld their formula. How? "By finding that the phrase "term of imprisonment" could be interpreted in different ways within the same sentence of the statute." [More...]

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