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.
Subject: Sentence reduction
There 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 current record....
Read moreSubject: Sentence reduction
When 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 be for...
Read moreSubject: Sentence reduction
If 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.
Subject: Sentence reduction
Inmates 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.
Subject: Sentence reduction
Once 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 if there...
Read moreSubject: Sentence reduction
Halfway 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 level and supervision needs
His release plan, including...
Read moreSubject: Sentence reduction
Violations 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.
Subject: Sentence reduction
In 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 in a better position to earn and keep those credits as...
Read moreSubject: Sentence reduction
Yes, there are several legitimate paths to sentence reduction and knowing about them can make a real difference in how much time someone actually serves.
Good Time Credit is the most common. Federal inmates who follow the rules and avoid disciplinary issues earn 54 days of good time credit per year under the First Step Act. That adds up over the course of a sentence and is the baseline most people count on.
The First Step Act opened additional doors beyond good...
Read moreSubject: Sentence reduction
There is a possibility but the circumstances laid out by the judge will dictate whether it's even possible. If the judge allows for parole, then there is one potential option for early release. There are "good time" credits which exist for all inmates. The caveat is that they have to remain in good standing with the prison staff, with no incidence reports or trips to the SHU for bad behavior. The good time usually represents about 15% off. Finally, if...
Read more