Brennan Center publishes new report on "The First Step Act’s Prison Reforms: Uneven Implementation and the Path Forward"

I was alerted via email this morning about this notable new Brennan Center report titled “The First Step Act’s Prison Reforms: Uneven Implementation and the Path Forward.”  I recommend the report in full, but the email I received usefully summarized the reports "recommendations to Congress and to the Department of Justice and its Bureau of Prisons to fulfill the First Step Act’s potential":

• Broaden eligibility for earned time credits so more people can get released earlier. (Congress)

• Revise PATTERN (Prisoner Assessment Tool Targeting Estimated Risks and Needs): Focus on predicting the risk of reconviction or re-incarceration, rather than rearrest, to reduce racial disparities in PATTERN’s risk predictions. (Department of Justice)

• Decouple PATTERN from earned time credit eligibility so that all people incarcerated by the Bureau of Prisons are incentivized to participate in programming and productive activities. (Department of Justice)

• Expand prison program offerings (e.g., drug treatment or literacy programs, work or vocational training) and interpret rules expansively to ensure that people can earn credits where programs are inaccessible or booked. (Department of Justice)

• Increase funding for prison reforms so the Bureau of Prisons has the resources it needs to deploy high-quality prison programming. (Congress)