D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser granted Friday early release to several sentenced misdemeanants at the D.C. Jail through the good time credit program.
In the council’s emergency COVID-19 relief bill, it empowered Ms. Bowser to give 75 days of additional good time credits to inmates who are at the jail as a result of a misdemeanor conviction.
Good time credits are awarded to inmates for good behavior and completing the rehabilitative program which can determine a person’s release date.
Of the 36 misdemeanants at the jail, this action will make about half of them eligible for immediate release, according to the mayor’s press release.
When council passed the legislation, on March 17, there were 115 sentenced misdemeanants at the jail, which was reduced due to the application of good time credits.
In addition to misdemeanants, the D.C. Jail houses pretrial offenders and convicted felons awaiting transfer to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The total population of the jail is about 1600, according to numbers shared two weeks ago by the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice.
Thirty three inmates and 11 Department of Corrections personnel have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to D.C. Department of Health data.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.