[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1475 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1475

To amend title 18, United States Code, to restore the former system of 
 good time allowances toward service of Federal prison terms, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2009

 Mr. Davis of Illinois (for himself, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Towns, 
 Mr. Rush, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Ms. Waters, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson 
 of Texas, Mr. Fattah, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, 
 Mr. Cummings, and Mr. Clay) introduced the following bill; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to restore the former system of 
 good time allowances toward service of Federal prison terms, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Federal Prison Work Incentive Act of 
2009''.

SEC. 2. RESTORATION OF FORMER GOOD TIME SYSTEM.

    (a) In General.--Part III of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after chapter 307 the following:

                  ``CHAPTER 309--GOOD TIME ALLOWANCES

``Sec.
``4161. Computation generally.
``4162. Industrial good time.
``4163. Discharge.
``4164. Forfeiture for offense.
``4165. Restoration of forfeited commutation.
``Sec. 4161. Computation generally
    ``(a) Each prisoner convicted of an offense against the United 
States and confined in a penal or correctional institution for a 
definite term other than for life, whose record of conduct shows that 
the prisoner has substantially observed all regulations promulgated by 
the Director of the Bureau of Prisons and has not been subjected to 
punishment, shall be entitled to a deduction from the term of his 
sentence imposed beginning with the day on which the sentence commences 
to run, and including time served in pretrial confinement, as follows:
            ``(1) 5 days for each month of the sentence, if the 
        sentence is not less than 6 months and not more than 1 year.
            ``(2) 6 days for each month of the sentence, if the 
        sentence is more than 1 year and less than 3 years.
            ``(3) 7 days for each month of the sentence, if the 
        sentence is not less than 3 years and less than 5 years.
            ``(4) 8 days for each month of the sentence, if the 
        sentence is not less than 5 years and less than 10 years.
            ``(5) 10 days for each month of the sentence, if the 
        sentence is 10 years of more.
    ``(b) When 2 or more consecutive sentences are to be served, the 
aggregate of the several sentences shall be the basis upon which the 
deduction shall be computed.
``Sec. 4162. Industrial good time
    ``(a) A prisoner may, in the discretion of the Director of the 
Bureau of Prisons, be allowed a deduction from that prisoner's sentence 
of not to exceed 3 days for each month of actual employment in an 
industry or camp for the first year or any part thereof, and not to 
exceed 5 days for each month of any succeeding year or part thereof.
    ``(b) In the discretion of the Director of the Bureau of Prisons 
such allowance may also be made to a prisoner performing exceptionally 
meritorious service or performing duties of outstanding importance in 
connection with institutional operations.
    ``(c) Such allowance shall be in addition to commutation of time 
for good conduct, and under the same terms and conditions and without 
regard to length of sentence.
``Sec. 4163. Discharge
    ``Except as otherwise provided by law a prisoner shall be released 
at the expiration of the term of sentence less the time deducted for 
good conduct. A certificate of such deduction shall be entered on the 
commitment by the Warden or keeper. If such release date falls upon a 
Saturday, a Sunday, or on a Monday which is a legal holiday at the 
place of confinement, the prisoner may be released at the discretion of 
the warden or keeper on the preceding Friday. If such release date 
falls on a holiday which falls other than on a Saturday, Sunday, or 
Monday, the prisoner may be released at the discretion of the warden or 
keeper on the day preceding the holiday.
``Sec. 4164. Forfeiture for offense
    ``If during the term of imprisonment a prisoner commits any offense 
or violates the regulations promulgated by the Director of the Bureau 
of Prisons, all or any part of his earned good time may be forfeited.
``Sec. 4165. Restoration of forfeited commutation
    ``The Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall by regulation provide 
for the criteria for and means of restoration of any forfeited or lost 
good time or portion.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of chapters for part III of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating 
to chapter 309 and inserting the following:

``309. Good time allowances.................................    4161''.
    (c) Conforming Repeal and Cross Reference Change.--Section 3624 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (b); and
            (2) in subsection (a), by striking ``subsection (b)'' and 
        inserting ``chapter 309''.
    (d) Application of Amendments.--This Act and the amendments made by 
this Act shall apply with respect to--
            (1) all prisoners, other than those to whom the former 
        system of the former chapter 309 of title 18 applies, as of the 
        date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (2) all periods of imprisonment of the prisoners to whom it 
        applies that occur after the date of that enactment.
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