Prison Conditions
First Step Act Summary: Common Questions Answered
It has been over eight months since the First Step Act of 2018 was enacted. I have consistently written about the First Step Act since it was adopted. But many people still have questions, and I have been repeatedly asked to provide a First Step Act summary. Fortunately, the Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) finally released…
Read MoreThe First Step Act: Work in Progress
The First Step Act – the first meaningful criminal justice reform in many years – is already beginning to make a positive difference in the lives of federal inmates, their families, and their communities. Just last Friday, July 19, 2019, the United States Department of Justice issued a press release informing the public about three…
Read MoreHome Confinement | New BOP Policy Released | April 2019 Update
Home confinement for federal prisoners is about to expand with the release of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) new April 4, 2019, Operations Memorandum, Home Confinement Under the First Step Act. You can access a copy of the entire operations memorandum here: BOP Home Confinement Memorandum. We have previously reported about the BOP’s implementation of…
Read MoreSentencing Reform And Corrections Act vs. First Step Act
The House of Representatives recently passed the so-called “First Step Act,” which is very different from the “Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act” that is still bouncing around the Senate. I discussed in a previous article, the many details of the House’s “First Step Act” (First Step). Let’s take a closer look at the debate. Some…
Read MoreFederal Prison Oversight Hearing Much Ado About Nothing
On Wednesday, December, 13, 2017, the House Oversight Committee held a 2.5 hr long federal prison oversight hearing. Many prisoners and their family members had hoped this hearing would hold the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) accountable for its recent decision to reduce or cancel federal halfway house placements for many prisoners. But the hearing,…
Read MoreFederal Halfway House Closings: UPDATE
I previously wrote about the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) decision to close several halfway houses. Since that article in October 2017, I have obtained a couple of new BOP memorandums that shed additional light about the federal halfway house closings. I. October 10, 2017 – Memo About Federal Halfway House Closings On October 10,…
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