Men and women of the Federal Bureau of Prisons,
Today, I’m proud to announce a major milestone in our implementation of the First Step Act: the successful launch of the updated Time Credit Application Program, a new tool that provides conditional home confinement placement dates combining both the First Step Act (FSA) and Second Chance Act (SCA). This is a direct result of your voices, your persistence, and our shared commitment to doing things better—for staff, for inmates, and for the communities we serve.
From day one, I’ve said if you want to know what’s really happening, you have to go where the work is being done. And when I visited our institutions, what I heard was clear: the overwhelming majority of our people want to do the right thing, but they didn’t always have the right tools. That is unacceptable. But thanks to the tireless and collaborative efforts of Divisions and the support from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, we can now back up the hard work being accomplished at our institutions.
Let me be crystal clear: this program isn’t about doing less; it’s about doing what we were always supposed to do, BETTER. This upgrade means fewer delays, more people getting the community placements they’ve earned, and our staff having access to reliable information to do their jobs with confidence.
And we’re not stopping there.
Starting today, all BOP staff have 24/7 access to a step-by-step training video that walks through how to maximize the use of home confinement under the First Step Act and Second Chance Act. Whether you’re a seasoned case manager or new to the Bureau, this training is here to make sure you know exactly how to interpret dates, verify eligibility, and use our halfway house capacity more effectively.
Our dedicated FSA team at the Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) has taken swift action by manually calculating conditional home confinement eligibility dates for individuals currently housed in Residential Reentry Centers (RRCs). This effort supports the transition of eligible individuals from RRCs to home confinement. As additional RRC placements become available, the FSA team will shift focus to individuals in our institutions, ensuring they receive the maximum benefit of stacking FSA time credits and appropriate placement under the SCA.
I know the vast majority of you are committed, honest professionals doing your best every day. This new program and training are here to support you, not burden you. But I’ve also made it clear -- where people ignored their responsibilities, we will find out, and we will take action. Accountability goes both ways, and I won’t allow the hard-working 99% to be overshadowed by the few who didn’t do their jobs.
This is what Leadership in Action looks like: listening, responding, and delivering. You told me what you needed to further implement the First Step Act, and we got to work. Now, with the inclusion of conditional home confinement dates operational and training at your fingertips, we are positioned to expand community placements, reduce confusion, and keep our momentum going.
Let’s keep showing up. Let’s keep proving our value. And let’s continue building a Bureau that earns the public’s trust and reflects the pride I see in so many of you.
Thank you for what you do, and now, let’s get to work.