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Early release articles
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Guide: Early Release From Federal Prison
- Federal Sentence Computation: Jail Credit, Good Time and Release Dates
The Bureau of Prisons, not the judge, works out a federal release date. Here is how it counts the start date, credit for time already served and good conduct time, and what to do if the math is wrong.
- Federal Halfway Houses (RRCs): Placement, Rules and Passes
The BOP can place someone in a halfway house for up to the last 12 months of a sentence. Here is how the time is decided, what the rules are, and what to do if it is cut.
- Federal Home Confinement: How BOP House Arrest Works
Most people leaving federal prison can serve the last 10% of the sentence, up to six months, at home. Time credits can add more. Here is how it works and how to ask.
- Would Biden Grant Clemency to People on CARES Act Home Confinement?
In 2021, people on CARES Act home confinement hoped President Biden would use clemency to keep them home, and in December 2024 he commuted many of their sentences.
- Which Health Conditions Supported Compassionate Release During COVID-19?
During the pandemic, health conditions the CDC linked to severe COVID-19 were often the core of a compassionate release request, though a health condition alone was never enough.
- First Step Act Early Release: Time Credits and 3 Other FSA Paths
The First Step Act opened four paths to an earlier release: FSA time credits, crack-sentence reductions, compassionate release motions and the elderly home detention pilot.
- How Older Federal Prisoners Could Ask for Home Detention: The 2019 BOP Memo
In March 2019, the BOP told its staff that eligible prisoners age 60 and older could ask right away to finish their sentence in home detention.