Truth-in-sentencing laws aim to preserve the time sentence set for criminals at the time of their conviction. Advocates of these policies argue that when an individual is sentenced for 5 to 7 years and ends up getting released after serving 3 or 4, it constitutes deception and a disservice to "the public's right to know".
Since 1994 in the U.S., the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act started giving out additional funding as an incentive to states that ensure criminals convicted of violent crimes serve at least 85% of their sentence. Up until 2008, 35 of the 50 states have kept up these standards.
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