What is the Federal First Step Act?
The Federal First Step Act (FSA) was signed by President Trump in 2018 with the goal of improving criminal justice outcomes, reducing the federal prison population, and creating mechanisms to maintain public safety. In addition, the FSA tasks the Attorney General to develop a risk and needs assessment to assess the recidivism risk of all federal prisoners in order to provide guidance on the amount and intensity of recidivism reduction programs the federal prisoners require. Moreover, the FSA amends a statute to require the Board of Prisoners (BOP) to assist inmates in applying for federal and state benefits and obtaining identification like a social security card or a birth certificate.
Good Behavior
Furthermore, the FSA incentivizes good behavior. The FSA amended a statute so that prison inmates may earn up to fifty-four days of good time credit for every year of their imposed sentence. In other words, an individual who is serving ten years in prison may earn up to a maximum of 540 days of credit on their sentence.
Housing of Inmates
Additionally, the FSA amended a statute to require BOP to house inmates as closely as they can to the prisoner’s primary residence. The statute requires that an inmate cannot be housed more than 500 driving miles from their primary residence. Moreover, the FSA modified a pilot program that allows the elderly and terminally ill to serve the rest of their sentence in home confinement.
Other Notable Parts
In addition, the FSA provides additional training to correctional officers on how to de-escalate confrontations between inmates, between officers and inmates, and between civilians and inmates. Further, the FSA prohibits the use of solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prison.
Sentencing Reforms
Also, the FSA outlines sentencing reforms. Specifically, the FSA reduces the mandatory minimum sentence for drug offenders with prior offenses. For example, a drug offender with one prior offense faces a mandatory sentence of fifteen years instead of twenty years. Further, a drug offender with two or more prior offenses faces a twenty-fiver year mandatory sentence instead of life in prison. For more information on the FSA see the BOP’s web page on the FSA.
Additional Recommended Reading:
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