Federal prison home confinement program shows lower recidivism than state releases

The Bureau of Prisons placed more than 13,200 individuals into home confinement under authority granted by the CARES Act. 17 percent, were returned to custody for a new crime.

Federal program details Inmates had to meet several criteria to qualify.

They needed a minimum or low security classification, a clean disciplinary record for at least one year, a verified home plan, and placement in a high-risk medical category. The Bureau of Prisons used the PATTERN risk-assessment tool to screen applicants. 0 percent for those on general home confinement. Violent crime among CARES Act releases was reported under 1 percent.

State releases North Carolina agreed to a consent order after 11 months of litigation that required the accelerated release of 3,500 people within 180 days. The state used discretionary sentence credits for about 61 percent of those releases. A sample of 1,180 people released under the state program showed that 566, or 48 percent, were later arrested on new charges, and 20 percent were convicted.

The Bureau of Prisons continues to operate the home confinement program under the same eligibility rules established in 2020.