HR 2371 - The Prisoner Incentive Act of 2013
This bill would change the so-called “good time credit” statute, 18 U.S.C. § 3624(b)(1). The bill clarifies that federal prisoners may earn up to 54 days of good time credit “for each year of the prisoner’s sentence imposed by the court.” If passed, this would fix a long-standing problem in the current version of the statute, which federal courts and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) have interpreted to allow federal prisoners to earn up to only 47 days of good time credit each year they are in prison. The bill would also allow (but not require) the BOP to restore to a prisoner any good time credit he was previously denied, if the prisoner has since maintained good behavior. Under current law, once good time credit is denied, it cannot be given back to the prisoner later on. The bill would be retroactive, meaning that it would apply to anyone already convicted in a federal court, as well as federal offenders convicted after the bill becomes law. The bill only applies to people convicted in federal courts, not state courts.
Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Rep.
Bobby Scott (D-VA) on June 13, 2013. Read the actual bill"
HR 2371 IH
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2371
To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to the good time credit toward service of sentences of imprisonment.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 13, 2013
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to the good time credit toward service of sentences of imprisonment.
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 ‘Prisoner Incentive Act of 2013’.
SEC. 2. GOOD TIME CREDIT.
(a) In General- Section 3624(b)(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘, beyond the time served, of up to 54 days at the end of each year of the prisoner’s term of imprisonment, beginning at the end of the first year of the term,’ and inserting ‘of up to 54 days for each year of the prisoner’s sentence imposed by the court,’.
(b) Restoration of Credit- Section 3624(b)(1) is amended by striking the sentence beginning ‘Credit that has not been earned’ and inserting ‘The Bureau may subsequently restore any or all credit previously denied, based on the prisoner’s maintaining good behavior as determined by the Bureau.’.
(c) Applicability- The amendments made by this section apply with respect to each prison sentence that has not been completed before the date of the enactment of this Act, except any sentence imposed before November 1, 1987.