Is There a Law Reducing Sentences to 1/3 of the Time?

No. This is a prison rumor, and versions of it have been circulating through correctional facilities across the country for decades. The specific details change depending on the state, the year, and who is telling it, but the pattern is always the same. A specific date, a specific fraction of time, and a specific category of inmates. It sounds credible because it is specific, and it spreads fast because everyone inside wants it to be true.

Sentence reduction legislation does not work this way. Laws that affect how much time inmates serve go through a lengthy legislative process that is publicly documented, debated in committee, voted on, signed by a governor or the president, and reported in the news before they take effect. A law significant enough to reduce sentences for everyone serving aggravated time to one-third would be one of the most significant criminal justice reforms in the history of the state or federal system. It would not be something you heard about through the prison yard before it appeared anywhere in the public record.

The September 1 detail is a common feature of these rumors because it sounds like the start of a fiscal or legislative year which lends it false credibility.

If you want to verify whether any sentence reduction legislation is actually moving through your state legislature, the state legislature's official website publishes all active bills and their current status. Anything real will be there. If it is not there it does not exist.

Real sentence reduction opportunities like RDAP, First Step Act earned time credits, good time accumulation, and substantial assistance motions are worth understanding and pursuing. Rumors are not.