-Updated, October 20, 2008
On September 25th Representative Danny Davis (D-IL)
introduced H.R. 7089, the Federal Prison Work
Incentive Act of 2008. There are no co-sponsors.
The bill, as written is not retroactive. H.R. 7089 would
not recalculate good time. It has been referred to the
House Judiciary Committee, and it has not passed into law.
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notified when HR 7089's page is updated, or check this
section of November's website often.
Please print a copy of this legislation (copied below),
send it to your imprisoned loved-ones.
At present there is no bill in the Senate or House to
restore a system of parole. As a reminder, please urge
Congress to support the 2nd Chance Act signed into law by
President Bush on April 9th, 2008, by appropriating the
funds required to implement re-entry assistance, and pilot
programs of elderly prisoner release. These programs should
give taxpayers an immediate return, lowering recidivism,
and costly institutionalized geriatric care, families are
more suited to than prisons.
To keep track of this bill, you can also visit the Govtrack.us. To find or contact your
member of Congress through an email communication,
visit Vote-Smart.
Federal Prison Work Incentive Act of 2008
(Introduced in House)
HR 7089 IH
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H . R . 7089
To amend title 18, United States Code, to
restore the former system of good time allowances toward
service of Federal prison terms, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES -- September 25, 2008
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to restore the
former system of good time allowances toward service of
Federal prison terms, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the
`Federal Prison Work Incentive Act of 2008'.
SEC. 2. RESTORATION OF FORMER GOOD TIME SYSTEM.
(a) In General- Part III of title
18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after
chapter 307 the following:
`CHAPTER 309--GOOD TIME ALLOWANCES
`Sec.
`4161.
Computation generally.
`4162.
Industrial good time.
`4163.
Discharge.
`4164.
Forfeiture for offense.
`4165.
Restoration of forfeited commutation.
`Sec. 4161. Computation generally
`(a) Each prisoner convicted of
an offense against the United States and confined in a
penal or correctional institution for a definite term other
than for life, whose record of conduct shows that the
prisoner has substantially observed all regulations
promulgated by the Director of the Bureau of Prisons and
has not been subjected to punishment, shall be entitled to
a deduction from the term of his sentence imposed beginning
with the day on which the sentence commences to run, and
including time served in pretrial confinement, as follows:
`(1) 5 days
for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is not less
than 6 months and not more than 1 year.
`(2) 6 days
for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is more
than 1 year and less than 3 years.
`(3) 7 days
for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is not less
than 3 years and less than 5 years.
`(4) 8 days
for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is not less
than 5 years and less than 10 years.
`(5) 10 days
for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is 10 years
of more.
`(b) When 2 or more consecutive
sentences are to be served, the aggregate of the several
sentences shall be the basis upon which the deduction shall
be computed.
`Sec. 4162. Industrial good time
`(a) A prisoner may, in the
discretion of the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, be
allowed a deduction from that prisoner's sentence of not to
exceed 3 days for each month of actual employment in an
industry or camp for the first year or any part thereof,
and not to exceed 5 days for each month of any succeeding
year or part thereof.
`(b) In the discretion of the
Director of the Bureau of Prisons such allowance may also
be made to a prisoner performing exceptionally meritorious
service or performing duties of outstanding importance in
connection with institutional operations.
`(c) Such allowance shall be in
addition to commutation of time for good conduct, and under
the same terms and conditions and without regard to length
of sentence.
`Sec. 4163. Discharge
`Except as otherwise provided by
law a prisoner shall be released at the expiration of the
term of sentence less the time deducted for good conduct. A
certificate of such deduction shall be entered on the
commitment by the Warden or keeper. If such release date
falls upon a Saturday, a Sunday, or on a Monday which is a
legal holiday at the place of confinement, the prisoner may
be released at the discretion of the warden or keeper on
the preceding Friday. If such release date falls on a
holiday which falls other than on a Saturday, Sunday, or
Monday, the prisoner may be released at the discretion of
the warden or keeper on the day preceding the holiday.
`Sec. 4164. Forfeiture for offense
`If during the term of
imprisonment a prisoner commits any offense or violates the
regulations promulgated by the Director of the Bureau of
Prisons, all or any part of his earned good time may be
forfeited.
`Sec. 4165. Restoration of forfeited commutation
`The Director of the Bureau of
Prisons shall by regulation provide for the criteria for
and means of restoration of any forfeited or lost good time
or portion .'.
(b) Clerical Amendment- The table
of chapters for part III of title 18, United States Code,
is amended by striking the item relating to chapter 309 and
inserting the following:
4161'.
(c) Conforming Repeal and Cross
Reference Change- Section 3624 of title 18, United States
Code, is amended--
(1) by
striking subsection (b); and
(2) in
subsection (a), by striking `subsection (b)' and inserting
`chapter 309'.
(d) Application of Amendments-
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall apply
with respect to--
(1) all
prisoners, other than those to whom the former system of
the former chapter 309 of title 18 applies, as of the date
of the enactment of this Act; and
(2) all
periods of imprisonment of the prisoners to whom it applies
that occur after the date of that enactment.
