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Essay On Truth In Sentencing

1001 Words5 Pages

Why is it that the amount of time that offenders serve is shorter than what they were sentenced to? Why are some prisoners entitled to parole while others must stay in prison to serve their sentence? Well thats because prison crowding, good-time reductions, and earned-time incentives lead to early release of prisoners. Many States have responded by enacting restrictions on early release. In result “truth-in-sentencing” laws were created, so that it could make it a requirement for offenders to serve a good portion of their sentence imposed by the court before becoming eligible for parole or release.

The first law that had required truth-in-sentencing in the United States was passed by Washington in 1984. In 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act created the Violent Offender Incarceration and Truth in Sentencing program.

Truth-in-sentencing is defined as policies and legislation that look to abolish or set aside parole so that convicts must serve the period to which they were sentenced to. Truth-in-sentencing had gained momentum in the 1990s. To provide States with incentives to pass truth-in-sentencing laws, the U.S. Congress authorized …show more content…

Eleven States embraced truth-in-sentencing laws in 1995. According to an article on genfkd.org in 2002 a study was directed while states were receiving truth-in-sentencing changes to perceive how the laws would influence jail population. The study found that prison sentences for violent offenders increased in every state that passed TIS legislation. Most States target violent offenders under truth-in-sentencing laws. However, the definition of truth-in-sentencing varies among the States, as do both the percentage of the sentence that must be served, and the crimes covered by the laws. In most states they require that at least 50 to 100 percent of a minimum sentence be

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