Armstrong Supports DOJ Decision Allowing Inmates Released Under CARES Act to Remain in Home Confinement

Statement

Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) will not be required to reimprison federal inmates who were released to home confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is a smart decision by the Department of Justice. Under the CARES Act, certain federal inmates were allowed to transition to home confinement due to the pandemic. They are non-violent offenders, many of whom have now been released for more than a year. Everyone released still has to comply with the terms of their release. This is smart criminal justice. Returning them to prison serves no public safety interest. It makes no sense to reincarcerate people and break up families," said Congressman Armstrong.

The CARES Act, signed into law by President Trump in March 2020, expanded the criteria for the BOP Director to release inmates to serve the remainder of their sentence under home confinement. BOP has used its expanded authority to prioritize home confinement of non-violent prisoners who have completed at least 25 percent of their sentence and have less than 18 months left to serve, or those who have completed at least 50 percent of their sentences.

Currently, 4,879 prisoners are on home confinement under the CARES Act, and at least 2,830 of them would be returned to a correctional facility if the policy were reversed.

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