How to Calculate Time Left on a 3-Year Sentence

A three-year sentence is 1,095 days. With 121 days of presentence credit applied, the remaining time to serve drops to 974 days. From there, federal inmates who maintain good behavior earn 54 days of good time credit per year under the First Step Act, which can reduce that figure further over the course of the sentence.

Working through the math, you are looking at roughly 28 months remaining before factoring in any additional good time credits that accumulate going forward.

Being a nonviolent offender also opens doors that are not available to everyone. Nonviolent inmates are more likely to qualify for programs under the First Step Act that generate earned time credits, which can move someone to prerelease custody or home confinement earlier than the projected release date. Getting enrolled in those programs as early as possible is worth pursuing through his case manager.

The Bureau of Prisons calculates release dates officially and that number lives in his paperwork. If you want to track it independently, InmateAid can help you locate him in the system and monitor his status. Sentence calculations can shift as credits are applied, so it is worth keeping an eye on.