DOJ finds Bureau of Prisons failed to apply earned time credits to 60,000 inmates

The Department of Justice Inspector General found that 60,000 inmates potentially did not properly receive credits for time under the First Step Act.

Sixty-thousand inmates potentially did not properly receive credits for time served under the First Step Act's recidivism programs, the Department of Justice inspector general found.

"We are concerned that the delay in applying earned time credits may negatively affect inmates who have earned a reduction in their sentence or an earlier placement in the community," Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz wrote in the report released Tuesday.

The inspector general also found that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) failed to incentivize or reward inmates who completed First Step-related programs.

After the implementation of the sweeping First Step Act, a recidivism program was put into place with time-served credit for inmates who completed it.