Durbin, Grassley: New Justice Department Rule Will Implements First Step Act's Earned Time Credits Program And Incentive Rehabilitation

Statement

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following joint statement in light of news that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a new earned time credit rule that will encourage the dispersal of credits earned by inmates to reduce risks of recidivism, which is a crucial component of the landmark First Step Act:

"Establishing robust programming and a fair system to earn time credits is critical to reducing recidivism, which should be a primary goal of our criminal justice system. The original proposed rule would have undermined the effectiveness of the First Step Act by making it less likely that inmates would participate in programs designed to prevent them from committing another crime after they are released from prison. Today's final earned time credit rule is a significant step toward achieving the First Step Act's goal of helping inmates to successfully reintegrate into communities. We're pleased that the Bureau of Prisons followed our advice and revised the rule to reflect Congress' intent when it passed the bipartisan First Step Act," Durbin and Grassley said.

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