Prentis mentions the possibility of Voight being released under the First Step Act's compassionate release clause. The First Step Act, short for the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act, is a bipartisan bill that reformed the federal criminal justice system, it was drafted and supported by both Democrats and Republicans; it was passed by the 115th U.S. Congress, with the bill receiving a very rare unanimous approval in the Senate, and passed by a very wide margin in the House of Representatives with a vote of 358-36, the bill was signed into law by President Donald Trump on December 21, 2018.
The goal of the bill is to reform the federal prison system and reduce recidivism by addressing harsh sentencing, improving prison conditions, and expanding rehabilitative programs. It created a program where inmates can earn time credits by participating in certain activities like alcohol & drug rehab, psychological therapy, earning their GED or a college degree; eligible inmates with good behavior can use the credits to take time off their sentences and become eligible for early parole, or early release and probation for those convicted of a non-violent felony. The bill also included a reform of the sentencing guidelines for controlled substance offenses aimed at reducing the excessive sentences of simple possession charges to reduce prison overcrowding, since prior guidelines allowed for someone convicted of possession to receive as much prison time as someone convicted of possession with intent to sell, it also increased the amount of drugs needed for someone to be convicted of trafficking. And tieing into what Prentiss mentioned it also included a provision to allow for the compassionate release of "inmates who present extraordinary and compelling circumstances, such as severe illness and/or old age, and who pose little risk to the community". Previously inmates could only apply for a compassionate release from the courts if they had exhausted all of their options for appealing to the BOP (Bureau of Prisons), which could take years. Under the First Step Act's compassionate release clause an inmate can now file an appeal with a federal judge 30 days after filing a request with the BOP to either be released to home confinement, released on parole, or have their sentence commuted to probation, without having to wait for a decision from the BOP. If an inmate's health issues are serious enough they can even be granted a release by the courts prior to the 30 day requirement, during the COVID-19 pandemic judges in the United States District Court for the Eastern & Southern Districts of New York, District of New Jersey and District of Connecticut released inmates to home confinement without filing a request with the BOP; and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit determined that the 30-day requirement could be waived on case-by-case basis.
