Sentence Reduction — Ask the Inmate
Every day served inside is a day that cannot be recovered. Understanding every legal and programmatic tool available to reduce a sentence is essential knowledge for any inmate and their family. The federal system offers multiple pathways, standard good time credits, First Step Act earned time credits through programming, RDAP sentence reduction of up to 12 months, compassionate release for qualifying medical conditions, and substantial assistance motions filed by the government. State systems have their own tools including good time credits that vary dramatically from 15 percent to 67 percent depending on the state. This section covers all of these pathways in plain language, who qualifies for each, how they interact with each other, and what realistic expectations look like for different situations. The guidance here is practical and honest about what is available and what is not. See also our sections on RDAP, First Step Act, Parole and Probation, and Post Conviction Appeals.
No. There is no law signed in Arizona that reduces the sentence threshold from 85 percent to 65 percent. This is a prison rumor and versions of it circulate through correctional facilities across the country on a regular basis. The details change depending on the state and the facility but the pattern is consistent. Someone hears something, it gets passed along, the details shift with each retelling, and within weeks, it sounds like fact to people who have no way
Read moreSigning for your time does not mean the number is locked in forever. There are legitimate paths to reduction even after a plea has been entered and a sentence imposed, though the options vary depending on whether your loved one is in the federal or state system. In the federal system, the most accessible program is RDAP, the Residential Drug Abuse Program. If an inmate has a documented history of substance abuse and qualifies for the program, successful completion
Read moreThere are two reliable paths to getting accurate sentencing information for someone incarcerated in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections system. The first is the Massachusetts DOC offender locator, which is a public-facing search tool available through the state's Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. You can search by name and the results typically include the facility, sentence information, and in many cases the offense of conviction. For someone currently housed at MCI Shirley that database should return a
Read moreWhen someone accepts a plea deal the reduction in sentence is already baked into the agreement. The plea itself is the trade, an acknowledgment of responsibility in exchange for a lesser charge or a lighter sentence than what a conviction at trial might have produced. That negotiation is finished once the judge accepts the plea and imposes the sentence. That does not mean options are completely exhausted but it does mean the available paths are narrower than they would
Read moreIf they have substantial information that can lead to the arrest and conviction of another person, they will get a reduction. If they save the life of a prison worker, they will get a reduction. If they get a sentence commutation from the governor or president; and if they are in federal prison and can take the RDAP program, they will get a year off plus up to another year of guaranteed halfway house.
Read moreInmates receive good time at the beginning of the sentence. As the time is served, the inmate can only lose the good time they are given by receiving incidence reports. Normally, good time is 15% of the sentence.
Read moreOnce a reentry program or class is completed, the credit calculation is not handled at the facility level. It goes to the Bureau of Prisons regional or central office for processing, which adds time to the timeline that many families and inmates do not anticipate. The typical range is anywhere from a couple of weeks to more than a month before the credit is officially calculated, verified, and posted to the inmate's record. In some cases it takes longer
Read moreHalfway house placement is not something you or your partner typically choose directly. It is assigned as part of the release plan by the system handling his case. For federal inmates, the Bureau of Prisons and probation office coordinate placement in a Residential Reentry Center. For state cases, the parole board and supervising agency handle it. Either way, the decision is based on: Where he plans to live after release Availability of space in facilities His risk
Read moreViolations of parole are not the best situation for early release. The judge that originally sentenced him and evidently offered some leniency is now not happy he did so. In his order it will state the terms of confinement. Parole would have to be an option in this order for it to be a possibility.
Read moreIn most state systems, inmates do not serve the full sentence if they earn and keep their good time credits. A common guideline is around 85% of the sentence, though this can vary depending on the state and the charge. For a 1 year sentence, that usually means: Roughly 10 to 10.5 months actually served The rest is reduced through good behavior credits Since this is his first time and the sentence is relatively short, he is
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