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Good Time Legislation Would Restore Pre-1986 Federal Good Time Policy June 12, 2009

Posted by FairSentencing in : Current News , trackback

On March 12, Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) introduced H.R. 1475, the Federal Prison Work Incentive Act of 2008, a bill that would substantially revive the good time system that existed before November 1, 1987. As defined in H.R. 1475, good time credit is the amount of time a prisoner, whose incarceration record shows substantial observance of Bureau of Prisons (BOP) regulations, is eligible to have deducted from the term of his or her sentence. The amount would vary, depending on the length of the prisoner’s sentence, among other things. Congressman Davis’s proposal would increase earned good time, restore “industrial” good time (providing for additional opportunities to reduce one’s sentence by engaging in work opportunities), allow forfeiture of all good time credit in the event of infractions in prison, and provide for potential restoration of forfeited good time credit. Although H.R. 1475 technically would apply to all prisoners sentenced on or after November 1, 1987, it would not be retroactive. It would not recalculate good time already earned under the current system.

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Comments»

1. Thania - June 13, 2009

Please pass this law!

2. Tracy - June 13, 2009

Yea give them a second chance

3. Liane Taft - June 16, 2009

This bill would help to reduce the costs of incarcerating non-violent prisoners and promote the rehabilitation of prisoners, which is almost non-existent in our current prison system. Many of our best and brightest citizens are sitting in prisons due to
first offenses; their debts to society could be better repaid through other means. This law should be passed as quickly as possible and it should apply to all federal, non-violent prisoners.