Under Alaska statute 33.20.10, a prisoner is entitled to a deduction of one-third of the term of imprisonment if the prisoner follows the rules of that correctional facility. This is known as a "good time" credit and applies to prisoners convicted of an offense against the state or a political subdivision of the state.

Alaska has one of the most liberal "good time" provisions in the nation. Alaska's one-third sentence reduction for "good time" is extremely liberal compared to federal statutes, which require federal offenders to serve at least 85% of the sentence imposed. Additionally thirty states also require at least 85% of the sentence be served. The federal government has asked all states to adopt this 85% standard.

SB 11 would reduce the "good time" sentence reduction by one-half for individuals convicted of murder in the first or second degree.

Affording convicted murderers the same "good time" privileges as those who commit less serious crimes is poor public policy. Senate Bill 11 addresses this injustice by preventing excessive sentence reductions on those individuals who maliciously take human life.

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