my niece who is in alderson called me and said that one of the guards told her that president bush is going to let 80,000 people go home on house arrest. does anyone know anything about this or who to contact to find out about it and what to do to try to get my niece into this. any info would be appreciated.

I have heard similar reports as well. Have not heard about specific numbers though, only that first time, non-violent offenders with a certain number of months left would go to home confinement. Don't know if there is any truth to this or it is the rumor mill, but I am hoping and praying it's true, 'cause I sure want my daughter home!

If that is true, that would be pretty incredibly given the fact that there are only 180,000 federal inmates at present. That would mean 40% of them are going home. It is a nice idea, but I doubt it is correct. Maybe 8,000.

I doubt the # as well. The judicial committee just recommended a budget of almost 5 trillion (yes, TRILLION) dollars for 2005, including the opening of 12 new facilities.

That Would Be Nice :). They Need To Open Some More Facilities They Are Packin Them Up Like Sardines Everywhere.

There is very little chance that this is true. Sounds to me to be a variation of everal inmate rumors.

One has to consider that these inmates would be released to a term of supervised release. The probation offices do not have the manpower nor the funds to take on that many newly released inmates. This rumor of a large number of first time, non-violent offenders has been making the rounds of federal prisons for years.

I haven't read my Constitution today, but I'm pretty sure that Bush couldn't do this even if he wanted to. He was Executive Power to give pardons, not to change the laws. Judges and juries sent us to prison, he can't change the law and change sentences unless it's in the form of a pardon, which means no house arrest. Sorry, I don't mean to be a downer, but I wouldn't want people to hope for something that can't actually happen in our country.

first time, non-violent offenders with a certain number of months left would go to home confinement.

Makes perfect sense ---so I think we can assume it will never happen in our wonderful system.

Wouldn't it be nice ... But often times one must pinch themselves to wake themselves from REM ... ;)

I wish people stopped playing like this. It is false hope and the crash afterwards-when it is confirmed it was a rumor- is hard. I cannot begin to tell you how many rumors I have heard that made my heart beat 20 times faster only to find out it was manufactured nonsense. It is doubtful that the president would get busy with releasing thousands upon thousands of federal prisoners. Peace

For what it's worth, when I was locked up at Schuylkill in 2003 they did release some guys early to house arrest.

They were all old law convictions that had very little supervised release.

The one guy that I know of specifically was told that he qualified because he had done two thirds of his sentence or something like that, maybe it was half but I seem to remember two thirds and he had no paper when he got out.

He was let go approximately 6 months early if memory serves me correctly.

But...the decision came from B.O.P., not the President. B.O.P. can do that because they are technically retaining custody of you.