PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR 5/9/2018 S2580-2581; text of measure as introduced: CR S2518-2527)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · May 7, 2018
Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act or the FIRST STEP Act
This bill amends various provisions of law and sets forth new provisions:
to require the Department of Justice to establish and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to implement a risk and needs assessment system to assess prisoner recidivism risk; guide housing, grouping, and program assignments; and incentivize and reward participation in and completion of recidivism reduction programs and productive activities;
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
to modify the computation of good time credit;
to allow federal correctional officers to securely store and carry concealed firearms on BOP premises outside the security perimeter of a prison;
to limit the use of restraints on federal prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery;
to require a prisoner to be placed at a facility not more than 500 driving miles away from the prisoner's primary residence;
to require low-risk prisoners to be placed on home confinement for the maximum amount of time permitted;
to reauthorize through FY2022 and modify eligibility for an elderly offender early release pilot program;
to require the BOP to help prisoners obtain identification documents prior to release, to incorporate de-escalation procedures into training programs, and to make tampons and sanitary napkins available free of charge;
to repeal the National Institute of Corrections;
to authorize Federal Prison Industries to sell products to additional markets;
to require probation and pretrial services officers to perform court-directed supervision of sex offenders conditionally released from civil commitment;
to require auditors who monitor compliance with national prison rape standards be certified; and
to require the BOP to establish pilot programs on youth mentorship and service to abandoned, rescued, or vulnerable animals.
People & committees
Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] · R–TX
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR 5/9/2018 S2580-2581; text of measure as introduced: CR S2518-2527)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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