United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office General Government Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1998-02-04 monographic deposited born digital 24 p. GA 1.13:GGD-98-42 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-42 P0b002ee180383fab f:gg98042 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-42 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-42 GGD-98-42 Correctional facilities Federal/state relations Federal grants Criminals Eligibility criteria Prisoners State-administered programs State law Law enforcement Surveys District of Columbia Letter Report GGD Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed truth-in-sentencing (TIS) laws, focusing on: (1) the number of states that have enacted TIS laws that meet the federal grant eligibility requirements; (2) whether the availability of federal grants was a factor in these states' decisions to enact TIS laws; and (3) reasons why other states have not enacted TIS laws that meet the federal grant requirements.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) at the time of GAO's review, based upon determinations made by the Department of Justice (DOJ), 27 states had TIS laws that met the requirements for receiving federal TIS grants; (2) for each of these 27 states, GAO contacted state officials to determine whether the availability of such grants was a factor in the respective state's decision to enact a TIS law; (3) based on responses to GAO's telephone survey, the states can be grouped into three categories--TIS grants not a factor, TIS grants a partial factor, and TIS grants a key factor; (4) the other 23 states and the District of Columbia did not receive federal TIS grants in fiscal year 1997; (5) in GAO's telephone survey, it confirmed these jurisdictions did not have TIS laws that met federal grant requirements; (6) for these 23 states and the District of Columbia, GAO contacted state and District officials to determine why the respective jurisdiction had not enacted TIS legislation that meets federal grant eligibility requirements; and (7) the reasons given in response to the telephone survey can be grouped into three categories: (a) prison construction or operation costs would be too high, even with federal grant money; (b) current sentencing practices appear to be working well; and (c) various other reasons. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-42/html/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-42.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-42/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-42.pdf GAO/GGD-98-42 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-42 Letter Report GAO/GGD-98-42; Truth In Sentencing: Availability of Federal Grants Influenced Laws in Some States; Correctional facilities Federal/state relations Federal grants Criminals Eligibility criteria Prisoners State-administered programs State law Law enforcement Surveys District of Columbia Public Law 103-322