The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons is no longer required to reimprison federal inmates who were released to home confinement during the pandemic.
Why it matters: The ruling reverses an order issued by former President Donald Trump in January, which required the agency to recall inmates on home confinement after the federal health emergency ends.
- Thousands of inmates were released during the expansion of home confinement to alleviate the impact of the coronavirus on the federal prison system.
What they're saying: "Thousands of people on home confinement have reconnected with their families, have found gainful employment, and have followed the rules," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
- "We will exercise our authority so that those who have made rehabilitative progress and complied with the conditions of home confinement ... are not unnecessarily returned to prison," he added.
- “This is an amazing moment for all of the men and women who shared their stories and the advocates who spent the last 10 months pushing for this policy change," Holly Harris, president and executive director of the Justice Action Network, said.
