Federal good conduct time does not apply to life sentences or sentences of 1 year or less.[1]
| State | What the official source says |
|---|---|
| Alabama | No incentive time for Class A felonies, crimes causing death by a deadly weapon, life or death sentences, any sentence over 15 years, or sex offenses involving a child. [Alabama SB 1] |
| Alaska | Mandatory 99-year terms under AS 12.55.125(a) imposed after June 27, 1996. [Alaska Stat. §33.20.010] |
| Arizona | No credits for people sentenced to serve the full term imposed by the court. [A.R.S. §41-1604.07] |
| Arkansas | Meritorious good time "will not be applied to reduce an inmate's length of sentence." [12 CAR §60-113] |
| California | GCC can be forfeited through discipline. [CDCR: In-Prison Credit-Earning Opportunities] |
| Colorado | Requires no class I discipline violation in the past 24 months and no class II violation in the past 12 months (or the whole term, if shorter). [Colorado SB26-159 session law] |
| Connecticut | Ineligible offenses: §§53a-54a to 54d (murder offenses), 53a-55, 53a-55a, 53a-70a, 53a-70c, 53a-100aa, and persistent dangerous felony or sexual offenders. [CT DOC: Risk Reduction Earned Credit grid] |
| Delaware | No good time for life sentences. [11 Del. C. §4381] |
| District of Columbia | The 1-year treatment reduction is not available for a "crime of violence" as defined in D.C. law. [D.C. Code §24-403.01] |
| Florida | 85% floor: gain-time cannot cause release before 85% of the sentence is served. Court-awarded jail credit counts toward the 85%. [Fla. Stat. §944.275] |
| Georgia | Serious violent felonies (murder, rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, armed robbery, kidnapping) committed on or after Jan 1, 1995, with a non-life sentence: no parole, 100% of the term. [Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles: FAQ] |
| Hawaii | Not applicable, since there are no credits to exclude anyone from. [Hawai'i HCR 23 Task Force memo] |
| Idaho | Mandatory minimum terms set by statute must be specified in the sentence. [Idaho Code §19-2513] |
| Illinois | 100%: first-degree murder, terrorism, and natural life sentences. [Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council: Sentence Credits 101] |
| Indiana | Credit restricted felons cannot be placed in Class A or B. [Indiana Code 35-50-6] |
| Iowa | A person required to take sex offender treatment earns nothing until they complete it. [Iowa Code §903A.2] |
| Kansas | Good behavior is "the expected norm." Credits can be forfeited for negative behavior. [K.S.A. 21-6821] |
| Kentucky | Sexual offenders who must take sex offender treatment do not get sentence credit until they complete it. [KRS 197.045] |
| Louisiana | For post-Aug 2024 crimes: no 15% good time for sex offenses (R.S. 15:541) or habitual offender sentences. [La. R.S. 15:571.3.1] |
| Maine | §2308 (not §2307) applies to murder, sexual offenses (ch. 11 and ch. 12), certain §§556 and 854 crimes, and domestic violence crimes against family, household members or dating partners. [17-A M.R.S. §2307] [17-A M.R.S. §2308] |
| Maryland | No deduction for periods without sentence credit, such as a stayed sentence or time out of custody because of escape. [Md. Corr. Servs. §3-704] |
| Massachusetts | Credit requires meeting program requirements and showing competency in the material. [Mass. Gen. Laws c.127 §129D] |
| Michigan | Disciplinary time applies to people convicted of listed offenses (MCL 800.34(5)), which covers most serious felonies, committed after the statutory effective dates. [MCL 800.34] |
| Minnesota | Exceptions under §244.05 subd. 4a (for example, life sentences). [Minn. Stat. §244.101] |
| Mississippi | Earned time can be forfeited for serious rule violations. Forfeited time cannot be restored. [Miss. Code §47-5-138] |
| Missouri | Not available to people committed under §558.016(7) or §566.125(3). [RSMo §558.041] |
| Montana | No parole for death sentences, people temporarily placed in prison for assessment or sanctions, and sentences imposed under §46-18-202(2) (court-restricted parole) or §46-18-219. [MCA §46-23-201] |
| Nebraska | The 6-months-per-year reduction can be forfeited, withheld and restored by the facility chief with approval. [Neb. Rev. Stat. §83-1,107] |
| Nevada | Credits go toward parole eligibility (the minimum) only if the person was not convicted of a violent felony, a felony sexual offense, felony DUI (NRS 484C.110, .120, .130, .430), a category A or B felony, or felony NRS 574.100. [NRS 209.4465] |
| New Hampshire | Credits are awarded or recommended by the commissioner after reviewing the prisoner's record. [RSA 651-A:22-a] |
| New Jersey | Statutes can block credits from reducing some terms. Commutation credit applies "except as otherwise provided for by statute." [NJ State Parole Board: Parole Eligibility Basic Calculations] |
| New Mexico | No EMD for the first 60 days of incarceration for a serious violent offense. [NM Corrections Dept. Policy CD-080400, Earned Meritorious Deductions] |
| New York | Merit time is not available for violent felony offenses, non-drug A-I felonies, manslaughter 2nd, vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, incest, or sex offenses (Penal Law art. 130 or 263). [NYS DOCCS: Serving a Sentence] |
| North Carolina | Earned time cannot take the sentence below the minimum term. [N.C. Gen. Stat. §15A-1340.13] |
| North Dakota | Sentences under §12.1-32-09.1 (the 85% rule for certain violent offenses) are excepted. [N.D.C.C. ch. 12-54.1] |
| Ohio | No credit for prison terms that §2929.13 or §2929.14 says cannot be reduced, or where §2967.13 or §2929.143(B) bars earned credit. [Ohio Rev. Code §2967.194] |
| Oklahoma | No earned-credit deductions for life sentences. DOC keeps a program record for the Parole Board. [SB 1213 enrolled] |
| Oregon | Not available for sentences under ORS 137.635, 137.700 and 137.707 (Measure 11 mandatory minimums) or 163.105, 163.107 and 163.115 (murder). [ORS 421.121] |
| Pennsylvania | Generally only for less serious offenders: no personal injury crimes, sex crimes, firearm crimes, or drug-trafficking convictions under listed provisions. Certain current or prior offenses disqualify. [PA DOC: Recidivism Risk Reduction Incentive] |
| Rhode Island | No good-behavior time for felony murder (§11-5-1 where the felony is murder), §11-23-1 (murder), §11-26-1.4, §11-37-2 (first-degree sexual assault), §11-37-8.1, or §11-37-8.3. [R.I. Gen. Laws §42-56-24] |
| South Carolina | No good conduct credit for life sentences or the 30-year mandatory minimum under §16-3-20. [S.C. Code ch. 24-13] |
| South Dakota | Life and death sentences are not eligible, except through the commutation process. [SDCL §24-15A-32] |
| Tennessee | The Inmate Disciplinary Oversight Board reviews awarded credits to check that the person's conduct justifies them. [Tennessee Inmate Disciplinary Oversight Board: FAQ on sentence credits] |
| Texas | No parole: death sentences, life without parole, and certain offenses listed in §508.145(a), such as continuous sexual abuse of a child. [Tex. Gov't Code ch. 508] |
| Utah | Guidelines are recommendations, not mandates. The Board can release before or after the guideline. [Utah Board of Pardons and Parole: Offenders and Family] |
| Vermont | Not available to people on probation or parole, people eligible under §811, interrupted sentences, or life without parole. [28 V.S.A. §818] |
| Virginia | Second or later convictions for certain offenses (§53.1-202.3(A)(17)) are also limited to 4.5 days. [Va. Code §53.1-202.3] |
| Washington | Serious violent offenses or class A sex offenses committed July 1, 1990 through June 30, 2003: 15% maximum. On or after July 1, 2003: 10% maximum. [RCW 9.94A.729] |
| West Virginia | Life sentences earn no good time. [W. Va. Code §15A-4-17] |
| Wisconsin | Applies to felonies on or after Dec 31, 1999 and misdemeanors on or after Feb 1, 2003 that lead to state prison. [Wis. Stat. §973.01] |
| Wyoming | Good time can be removed or withheld. Granting it is "a matter of grace and not that of right." [Wyo. Stat. §7-13-420] |
51 jurisdictions listed. Each row quotes our state page, which cites the statute or agency page. A summary is not legal advice.
Most states have more exclusions than the one shown. Read the full state page.