Discretionto Continue the Home-ConfinementPlacementsof ...

1 (SlipOpinion)ThisOfficeconcludedinJanuar y2021that,whentheCOVID-19emergencyends,t heBureauofPrisonswillberequiredtorecalla llprisonersplacedinextendedhomeconfineme ntundersection12003(b)(2)oftheCoronaviru sAid,Relief, 624(c)(2).Havingbeenaskedtoreconsider,we nowconcludethatsection12003(b)(2)andtheB ureau ,CongresspassedtheCoronavirusAid,Relief, andEco-nomicSecurityAct, , ( CARESAct ), sprovisions,section12003(b)(2), ,section12003(b)(2)authorizestheDirector oftheBureauofPrisonsto lengthenthemaximumamountoftimeforwhichth eDirectorisauthorizedtoplaceaprisonerinh omeconfinementunderthefirstsentenceofsec tion3624(c)(2)oftitle18,UnitedStatesCode ,astheDirectordeterminesappropriate.

2 AbsenttheCARESAct, 3624(c)(2)wouldlimitthedurationofhomecon finementtothelesseroftenpercentofaprison er (b)(2)removesthoselimits [d]uringthecoveredemergencyperiod, whichistheperiodoftheCOVID-19nationaleme rgencyplusthirtydays, lengthened ,thisOfficeadvisedthattheBureauofPrisons ( BOP ) 3624(c)(2).SeeHomeConfinementofFederalPr isonersAftertheCOVID-19 Emergency, ( ,2021)( HomeConfinement ).DiscretiontoContinuetheHome-Confinemen tPlacementsofFederalPrisonersAftertheCOV ID-19 EmergencyMEMORANDUMOPINIONFORTHEATTORNEY GENERAL1 December21, ,BOPhasprovideduswithadditionalbriefingr eflectingitsconsistentviewthattheCARESA ctis mostreasonably ,AssistantAttorneyGeneral,OfficeofLegalC ounsel,fromKennethHyle,GeneralCounsel,BO P,Re:ViewsRegardingOLCO pinion, HomeConfinementofFederalPrisonersAfterth eCOVID-19 Emergency datedJanuary15,2021,at2( ,2021)( BOPMemo-randum ).

3 BOPfurtherexplainedthathome-confinementd ecisionshavealwaysbeenmadeonanindividual basis, , ,structure,purpose,andlegislativehistory andacarefulconsiderationofBOP sanalysisofitsownauthority weconcludethatthebetterreadingofsection1 2003(b)(2)andBOP ,BOP (b)(2),ourOffice sprioropinion,andBOP (b)(2)oftheCARESA ctreadsinfull:Duringthecoveredemergencyp eriod,iftheAttorneyGeneralfindsthatemerg encyconditionswillmateriallyaffectthefun ctioningoftheBureau, ( ,2021) (c)(2)oftitle18,UnitedStatesCode, 3621(note).Thefirstsentenceofsection3624 (c)(2)pro-vides: Theauthorityunderthissubsectionmaybeused toplaceaprison-erinhomeconfinementforthe shorterof10percentofthetermofim-prisonme ntofthatprisoneror6months.

4 Theeffectofsection12003(b)(2)oftheCARESA ctistoauthorizetheBOPD irectorduringthecoveredemergencyperiodto removethetimelimitsofsection3624(c)(2)an d lengthen coveredemergencyperiod isdefinedinsection12003(a)(2)as theperiodbeginningonthedatewhichthePresi dentdeclaredanationalemergencyundertheNa tion-alEmergenciesAct( )withrespecttotheCorona-virusDisease2019 (COVID-19)andendingonthedatethatis30days afterthedateonwhichthenationalemergencyd eclarationterminates. ThePresidentdeclaredtheCOVID-19pandemica nationalemergencyundertheNationalEmergen ciesActonMarch13,2020, (COVID-19)Outbreak, , ,337( ,2020).

5 ThatemergencywasextendedonFebruary24, (COVID-19)Pandemic, ,599( ,2021).TheAttorneyGeneralfoundthatCOVID- 19emergencyconditionsweremateriallyaffec tingthefunctioningofBOPonApril3, ,Re:In-creasingUseofHomeConfinementatIns titutionsMostAffectedbyCOVID-19,at1( ,2020)( BarrMemorandum ).Thus,fromthatdatetothepresent,theBOPD irectorhasexercisedauthorityto lengthenthemaximumamountoftimeforwhichth eDirectorisauthorizedtoplaceaprisonerinh omeconfinement , ,BOP,Re:HomeConfine-mentat2( ,2021).PrisonerswhodonotmeetBOP scriteria,butDiscretiontoContinueHome-Co nfinementPlacementsofFederalPrisoners3ha veparticularCOVID-19riskfactors, , ,Re:PrioritizationofHomeConfinementAsApp ropriateinResponsetoCOVID-19 Pandemicat1 2( ,2020).

6 SincelateMarch2020andasofDecember6,2021, BOPhasplaced35, ,4,879prisonerswereinextendedhomeconfine mentundertheCARESAct,andatleast2, (c)(2) ,wereasonedthatbecausethepurposeoftheCAR ESA ctwastoprovide avarietyofformsoftemporaryemergencyrelie ftoaddressaonce-in-a-centuryglobalpandem ic (emphasisadded), , ,at* (c)(2)home-confinementplace-mentstolasty earsorevendecades,andthusthatCongresswou ldnothave fundamentallyalteredthestructureofhomeco nfinementbeyondtheemergencycircumstances *5 (c)(2) ,2021, ( ,2021) ,anditsimplicationsforsection12003(b)(2) , (citingthetemporarynatureofsections1109, 1113,1114,1102(a)(2),1108(c)(1),portions ofsection2102,andsections3201 3226).

7 Wealsofoundsupportforourpriorconclusioni nthefactthattheCARESA cthome-confinementauthorityexpires 30daysafterthedateonwhichthenationalemer gencydeclarationterminates. CARESAct 12003(a)(2)(emphasisadded);seeHomeConfin ement, ,at*6 sintenttohaveBOPreturnprisonerstocorrect ionalfacilities: IfCongresshadexpectedthattheterminationo ftheDirector sexpandedauthoritywouldhavenooperational effectsonprisonersal-readyinhomeconfinem ent,thenhisplacementauthoritycouldsimply haveterminatedwiththeemergency. HomeConfinement, ,at*6 ,wearguedthattheuseoftheverb toplace * ,includingthroughdailymonitoring,weeklyi n-personmeetings,drugandalcoholtesting,a ndcounseling, toplace inthecontextofBOP shome-confinementauthoritywasbestreadasc onnotinganongoingactionthatrequiredongoi nglegalauthority, (b)(2)lapsed,wereasoned,BOPlackedlegalau thoritytocontinue,ineffect,to place prisonersinhomecon-finementwhohadbeenini tiallyputthereduringthecoveredemergencyp eriodbutwhoseremainingsentencesexceededt hetimelimitsofsection3624(c)(2).

8 ,andremainsoftheviewtoday,thatsection120 03(b)(2)is mostreasonablyinterpreted ; ,GeneralCounsel,BOP,Re:DraftOLCopinionon theCARESA cthomeconfinementauthority( ,2021,2:46PM).BOPemphasizesthat,textuall y,theauthoritygrantedbysec-tion12003(b)( 2)thatexpiresattheendofthecoveredemergen cyperiodistheauthorityofBOPtolengthenter msofhomeconfinement,nottheauthoritytolet prisonersremaininhomeconfinement: Onceadecisionhasbeenmadeto lengthen aparticularinmate shomeconfinementterm,nofurtheraction( ,bringingtheinmatebackintosecurecustodyf romhomeconfinement)iscompelledorcontempl atedbythestatute.

9 ,includingadditionalau-thoritytoreturnap risonertoafacility,comesfromitsgeneralst atutoryauthorities, 3621(a),whichcommitsprisoners tothecustodyoftheBureauofPrisonsuntilthe expirationofthetermimposed. ,theSecondChanceActof2007, , (2008),createdapilotprogramforhomeconfin ementforcertainelderlyinmatesthatdoesnot incorporatethetimeframesofsection3624(c) (2).TheFirstStepActof2018, , ,reauthorizedandbroadenedthisprogrambylo weringthequalifyingagefrom65to60,includi ngterminallyilloffend-ersaswellaselderly ones, (c)(2).2 TheFirstStepAct semphasisonhomeconfinementisalsoevidenti nitsdirectionthatBOP shall,totheextentpracticable,placeprison erswithlowerrisklevelsandlowerneedsonhom econfinementforthemaximumamountoftimeper mitted.

10 FirstStepAct 602, ( 3624(c)(2)).Moreover,BOPhasinformedustha titwouldnotordinari-lyreturnaprisonerfro mhomeconfinementtosecurecustodywithouta2 TheFirstStepActalsocreatedaseparate,expa ndedhome-confinementprogrambywhichlow-ri skoffenderscanearntimecreditsforearliert ransfertopre-releasecustody,includinghom econfinement,withoutregardtothetimelimit sofsection3624(c)(2). 3624(g). ( ,2021)6disciplinaryreason,andthatthe widespreadreturnofprisonerswithoutadisci plinaryreasonwouldbeunprecedented. BOPM emorandumat4 theincreasedavailabilityoflonger-termhom econfinementtofitthepenologicalneedsofpr isoners assupportforitsconclusionthatsection1200 3(b)(2) sexpansionofhomecon-finementinrecentyear sdemonstratesthat theuseofincarcerationisbeingre-evaluated ascomparedtothesocietalbenefitsofnon-cus todialrehabilitativeprograms.