In compliance with a mandate of the federal First Step Act (FSA) of 2018, the U.S. Attorney General presents this first Annual Report on progress in the implementation of FSA’s provisions from December 21, 2018, through September 30, 2020.
Section I of the report addresses the work that has been done in creating the new risk assessment tool for use by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). It also discusses improvements in reentry programming, drug treatment, home confinement, and inmate placement in a facility closer to home, as well as changes made in the retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act, compassionate release, and good-conduct time. This section also addresses the policies and guidance required to implement the FSA and proposes legislation to improve the effectiveness of the FSA. Section II discusses the programs and activities that can be considered evidence-based recidivism-reduction programs and productive activities, as required by the FSA. Section III addresses the recidivism rates for inmates released from Federal prison through September 26, 2020, under FSA provisions. Section IV discusses work completed by the Federal Prison Industries under FSA provisions, followed by Section V, which explains the implementation of the risk and needs assessment system required by the FSA. Other sections of this Annual Report address budgetary savings under the FSA, the screening and treatment of dyslexia in inmates, and the impact of COVID-19 on BOP programming. Extensive tables and figures