USA Today has this new article focused on the work of new Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, and deep into the lengthy article is an encouraging update on developments with the FIRST STEP Act. Here are the details:
In his first month, Rosen has sought a fuller understanding of the opioid crisis in America and has taken a lead role in Justice's implementation of bipartisan criminal justice legislation aimed at easing sentences for non-violent drug offenders, reducing the federal prison population and assisting offenders' transition back into their communities.
Rosen said Justice is on schedule to deliver a critical tool to assess the needs and risks of future recidivism for federal prisoners. The program, required under the First Step Act, a sweeping measure intended to reduce the nation's prison population, is due by July 19.
On the same date, the federal Bureau of Prisons is set to recalculate the amount of so-called "good time" earned by federal offenders, an action that is expected to result in the release of 2,200 offenders to their home communities.
Rosen, who was touring the federal prison in Englewood, Colo., earlier this week in advance of the actions slated for later this month, said Justice was "pushing hard" to abide by the requirements of the new legislation.
Since the First Step Act was signed into law in December, Rosen said 1,093 drug offenders have been released from federal prisons as part of a provision that reconciled overly harsh sentences issued to crack cocaine offenders. Another 171 low-risk elderly inmates and 46 chronically-ill offenders also have been released under terms of the legislation.
"I’m putting my personal attention on that," Rosen said of the legislation. "The attorney general is, too."
I had heard from various sources that the Justice Department was on track to release the important risk and needs assessment tool on July 19, which in turn enabled the "good time fix" of the FIRST STEP Act to finally get implemented. I am pleased to hear somewhat officially that this will all be happening later this month, and that both AG Barr and DAG Rosen are invested in properly administering these parts of the FIRST STEP Act. The good time fix will immediately impact thousands of persons in federal prisons and impact hundreds of thousands more in the years to come. And the risk/needs tool should impact tens of thousands of federal prisoners as well.
A few of many prior related posts:
- Spotlighting how FIRST STEP Act implementation challenges and uncertainty has already begun
- Curious (but still encouraging) discussion of expected release of prisoners after FIRST STEP Act "good time" fix becomes operational
- US Sentencing Commission releases data report on resentencings pursuant to Section 404 of the First Step Act of 2018 (making retroactive provisions of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010)
- Seeking thoughts as we approach six months of implementing (and overseeing the implementation) of the FIRST STEP Act
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