First Step Act

Why It Matters

The First Step Act (2018) is the most significant piece of prison reform in over 50 years. It affects every person in federal prison. If you understand it well, you can position yourself for earlier release and more liberty.

When I served 26 years in federal prison, I saw how people who educated themselves and documented their progress consistently earned better outcomes. That’s why we built PrisonProfessors.org as a free resource—to help you learn how to advocate for yourself without wasting money on consultants who promise results they can’t deliver.

What It Does

The First Step Act created Earned Time Credits (ETCs)—an incentive program that rewards people in custody for completing programs and activities:

• Eligibility: First, you must complete a PATTERN (Prisoner Assessment Tool Targeting Estimated Risk and Needs) risk assessment within days of entering prison. If you score low or minimum risk, you may begin earning credits (unless you have a disqualifying offense).
  
  
• Credits:
  
  
  
  • First 6 months → 10 days per month off your sentence.
    
    
  • After reassessment → 15 days per month off your sentence.
    
    
• Stacking: ETCs apply in addition to:
  
  
  
  • 54 days/year statutory good time.
    
    
  • Up to 12 months off via RDAP (if eligible).
    
    
• Limit: You can apply up to 12 months of credits directly toward your release date. Additional credits may allow earlier transfer to home confinement or halfway house under §3624(c).
  
  

Reference: BOP First Step Act Information.

Programs That Qualify

Examples include:

• Parenting classes
  
  
• Financial literacy
  
  
• Anger management
  
  
• Vocational or educational courses
  
  
• Evidence-based programs like Preparing for Success After Prison (developed by Prison Professors and approved for FSA credit inside BOP).
  
  

Why Documentation Matters

Credits are not automatic. You must show proof of consistent effort. That’s why we urge you to:

• Build a profile on PrisonProfessors.org (top right of the site).
  
  
• Publish biography, journals, book reports, and release plans.
  
  
• Memorialize progress with time-stamped evidence.
  
  

This record not only strengthens your FSA credit claims but also supports advocacy for earlier transition to halfway house or home confinement.

Advocacy Beyond Today

Some offenses are currently excluded from FSA credits. As founder of Prison Professors Charitable Corporation, I am working with others to expand eligibility so that all people in prison can earn time credits. As Wayne Gretzky said, “skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” Plan for the future. Your role is crucial: you must build the record that shows you’re a strong candidate for mercy and reform. 

Key Takeaways

• The First Step Act is the most important reform tool in federal prison.
  
  
• Earned Time Credits reward consistent program participation.
  
  
• Credits stack with good time and RDAP for maximum impact.
  
  
• Only 12 months can reduce your sentence, but excess credits can speed home confinement.
  
  
• Build a public, time-stamped record of your work for credibility and advocacy.
  
  

Self-Directed Exercise

Publish these entries in your Prison Professors profile:

1. Initial Plan: List 3 programs you plan to complete in your first 90 days in custody.
   
   
2. Daily Practice: Write a short journal entry about one positive step you’ve taken today toward learning, service, or personal growth.
   
   
3. Book Report: Summarize one book you’ve read, focusing on lessons that will help you succeed after release.
   
   
4. Release Plan: Draft a one-page plan showing housing, employment, and support you’ll pursue after prison.
   
   

These entries create a mitigation record you can use at sentencing, in custody, and during reentry.

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