{"id":85921,"date":"2018-05-11T19:04:05","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T23:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/?p=85921"},"modified":"2019-11-06T10:53:59","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T15:53:59","slug":"first-step-act-federal-prison-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/legislation\/first-step-act-federal-prison-reform","title":{"rendered":"The First Step Act: All Your Questions Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

On May 9, 2018, the House Judiciary Committee passed a bipartisan federal prison reform<\/strong> bill known as the First Step Act (H.R. 5682)<\/a><\/strong>. The bill\u2019s longer name is the \u201cFormerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act.\u201d The First Step Act<\/strong> was previously called the Prison Reform and Redemption Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Before the First Step Act<\/strong> can become law, it must be passed out of the House of Representatives and voted on in the Senate. Then the President must sign it.<\/p>\n

The bill is expected to receive a floor vote in the House by the end of May 2018. The bill\u2019s fate in the Senate remains promising, but some activists oppose the First Step Act<\/strong> because it does not include sentencing reforms.<\/p>\n

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First Step Act Federal Prison Reform<\/p><\/div>\n

Here are key points about the First Step Act<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

1. The First Step Act Requires The Development Of A Risk And Needs Assessment System<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Within 180 days after the First Step Act<\/strong> becomes law, the Attorney General is required to develop a \u201cRisk and Needs Assessment System.\u201d The system will gauge individual prisoner recidivism risk, and help Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staff decide which recidivism reduction programs individuals should participate in. After the system has been developed, the BOP has 180 days to begin implementation. Priority for program participation will be given to prisoners, at least initially, who are within two years of release.<\/p>\n

All of the recidivism reduction programs contemplated by the First Step Act must be \u201cevidence based.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further, the First Step Act<\/strong> allows the BOP to \u201cuse existing risk and needs assessment tools, as appropriate.\u201d The BOP previously developed a risk and needs assessment tool called the \u201cInmate Skills Development System\u201d (ISDS). But the BOP has been phasing out ISDS in anticipation of the rollout of \u201cInsight,\u201d a new program that \u201cwill enable institutions to better track an inmate\u2019s progress in correctional programming and will allow subject matter experts to include feedback about the inmate.\u201d1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

I expect the BOP to likely use \u201cInsight,\u201d or whatever new name the BOP may give to that system, as the \u201cRisk and Needs Assessment System\u201d required by the First Step Act<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2. The First Step Act Provides Incentives For Prisoner Participation In Recidivism Reduction Programs<\/h2>\n

The First Step Act<\/strong> offers incentives to prisoners to participate in recidivism reduction programs.<\/p>\n

Those incentives include:<\/p>\n

\u201cphone privileges, or, if available, video conferencing privileges, for up to 30 minutes per day, and up to 510 minutes per month\u201d;<\/p>\n