The Promise of a Fairer Clock
When Congress passed the First Step Act in December 2018, it marked a rare moment of bipartisan agreement. Lawmakers from both parties recognized that the federal prison system was overcrowded, expensive, and failing to help people succeed once they returned home. The Act offered a simple but powerful idea: if incarcerated individuals take meaningful steps to change, their time should reflect that effort.
The First Step Act didn’t overhaul the entire system overnight—it created a structure where change would count. It tied participation in rehabilitative programs to measurable rewards and introduced a fairer way to calculate time served. For many, it represented not just a legal reform but a tangible opportunity for redemption. Senator Dick Durbin recently said on the sixth anniversary of the First Step Act, “The First Step Act acknowledges the obvious—the vast majority of people who are incarcerated will someday be released, so we must prepare them to successfully return to their communities. In the last six years, this law has safely and effectively reduced populations in overcrowded federal prisons, reuniting families, and revitalizing communities.”
How Earned Time Credits Work
At the heart of the First Step Act are earned time credits—a mechanism that allows eligible inmates to shorten their stay in secure custody by participating in approved programming. While the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has had setbacks in implementing the program, great strides have been made over the past year in accurately applying credits for inmates to return home. The BOP even put out a new video that provides guidance on how the credits are applied, something that is important and that had been lacking over the years.
For every 30 days of successful participation in Evidence-Based Recidivism Reduction (EBRR) programs or Productive Activities, inmates who qualify can earn 10 days of credit. Those who maintain a minimum or low PATTERN risk level over two consecutive assessments earn an additional 5 days, totaling 15. These credits can be applied to transfer to community-based settings—like halfway houses or home confinement—sooner, or to reduce the term of imprisonment by up to 12 months when transitioning to supervised release.
The intent is straightforward: reward consistent participation in programs proven to reduce reoffending. For people inside, these credits transform classes and activities into stepping stones toward freedom.
Beyond Good Conduct Time
It’s important to understand how these credits differ from the longstanding “good conduct time.” Good conduct time rewards compliance—staying out of trouble and following the rules. Earned time credits, on the other hand, reward growth and engagement. They are based on ‘what you do’ rather than ‘what you avoid doing.’
Together, these two systems now work side by side: good conduct time shortens the overall sentence for good behavior, while earned time credits move individuals closer to prerelease custody or supervised release based on effort and progress. This combination creates a more dynamic and fair system—one that recognizes personal change and responsibility.
A Shift Inside the Bureau of Prisons
Recently, BOP announced an operational shift that could make the First Step Act’s promises more real. The Bureau will now anchor its inmate management decisions to a new metric: the FSA Conditional Placement Date (FCPD), also known as the time credit worksheet date.
In the past, the BOP did not recognize the full application of earned credits over the entire term. Instead, it used a Projected Placement Date that only reflected the credits earned to date since credits are earned each month rather than given up front like Good Conduct Time. Conditional Placement Date represents the projected point when an inmate—based on earned time credits—should be eligible for prerelease custody or supervised release. The BOP is directing staff to use this date as the foundation for key decisions about classification, reclassification, and facility placement.
It’s a small technical change on paper but a major cultural shift in practice. By using this date to guide decisions, the Bureau is effectively saying that the earned time credits aren’t just theoretical—they are the organizing principle for how and when people move through the system.
What It Means for People Inside
The new policy means that inmates eligible under the First Step Act may see changes earlier and with greater predictability.
First, the shift should lead to faster movement to appropriate custody levels. If your Conditional Placement Date shows you’re nearing the window for prerelease custody, a case manager can initiate reclassification sooner and consider transfers to lower-security facilities or community settings. This prevents unnecessary months in higher custody and aligns placement with your actual progress toward release. According to one BOP insider, this will be result in over 1,500 people moving from Low Security facilities, which are near capacity, to minimum security camps that are around 68% capacity.
Second, it reduces the last-minute rush that too often defines the end of a sentence. Under the old system, many transfers or halfway house placements happened with little warning, leaving both inmates and staff scrambling to complete paperwork, arrange housing, or verify supervision plans. By focusing on the Conditional Placement Date months in advance, everyone gains time to prepare.
Third, it ensures that earned time credits have real operational weight. The date on an inmate’s worksheet is now the same date staff use to plan the next steps to return to the community. It connects your effort—completing classes, maintaining low risk scores, and staying on track—to concrete action within the system.
Benefits for Staff and the System
This policy change isn’t just about helping inmates; it’s also about improving how the BOP functions. By planning around the Conditional Placement Date, staff can manage populations more efficiently.
Earlier classification reviews reduce overcrowding in high-security facilities and allow smoother transfers to lower-security institutions. That means fewer emergency moves, fewer logistical headaches, and more balanced distribution across the federal system. It also cuts unnecessary costs associated with housing people in higher security than needed.
For staff, it translates to fewer crises and more predictability. For taxpayers, it means savings. For the public, it reinforces the BOP’s compliance with the law and Congress’s intent when the First Step Act passed.
Making the System Work for Everyone
For inmates and families, this modernization offers something even more valuable than efficiency—hope that the system is beginning to honor effort with fairness. The First Step Act was designed to reduce recidivism by giving people reasons to participate in rehabilitation and by helping them reenter society with structure and support.
By centering operations on the Conditional Placement Date, the Bureau is giving that incentive new life. It makes programming more meaningful because progress now shows up not just on a certificate but on the calendar that governs your release.
Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, President of Tzedek Association, a advocacy group for prison reform, said, “Today’s announcement by the BOP is truly monumental. This reform will change thousands of lives — allowing men and women who have worked hard to better themselves to move into lower-security settings and reconnect with their families much earlier. Rabbi Margaretten told me in an interview that he was thankful to BOP Director William Marshall III for his vision and leadership, to Deputy Director Josh Smith and to Rick Stover for their tireless work implementing the First Step Act, and to the entire BOP team for making this long-awaited change a reality.
Practical Steps for Those Inside
If you or someone you know is in federal custody, this is the time to take ownership of that calendar.
Start by asking for a copy of your time credit worksheet. This document lists the inmate’s current earned time credits and shows their Conditional Placement Date. It’s the key to understanding how the inmate participation is moving toward prerelease custody.
Engage actively in the programs listed in your individualized needs plan. These are the classes that generate credits. Keep records of completions—certificates, attendance sheets, and sign-offs.
Inmates can also work with their case manager to understand how their Conditional Placement Date affects the next classification review and potential transfer options. If the inmate’s date for transfer to the community is within the next year, discussions about prerelease custody should already be happening.
Finally, begin planning for reentry early. Use the extra predictability this system provides to secure identification, confirm housing, and build employment connections. The more prepared the person is while in prison, the smoother the transition will be when the time comes.
A Modernized Approach to Reentry
The BOP calls this update “a modernization of operations.” That may sound bureaucratic, but behind those words is something deeply human. When decisions are tied to effort and progress, the prison experience shifts from waiting to working. Each day in an educational or vocational program becomes a step toward home, not just a way to pass time.
“This change reflects our continued commitment to managing the inmate population in a way that is both fair and consistent with the law,” said Rick Stover, Special Assistant to the Director. “By using Conditional Placement Dates, we are improving operational efficiency, supporting our staff, and honoring the intent of the First Step Act.”
Looking Ahead
The First Step Act was never meant to be the last step. It was a foundation. The recent BOP update signals that the agency is taking that foundation seriously, turning legislative intent into day-to-day reality.
For those inside, this means the time spent learning, working, and growing truly matters. The Conditional Placement Date gives that effort a timestamp—a tangible reflection of progress. For families and communities, it means a more predictable path to reunion.
The federal prison system still faces challenges, but with each update that honors both the law and the individual’s work, it takes another small but meaningful stride toward fairness, efficiency, and safety. The First Step Act remains exactly what its name suggests—a beginning.
Read the full article here
