Former US Rep. Jackson Has Projected Release Date Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. could be released from federal prison on Dec. 31, 2015 - if he behaves himself. The projected release date is listed on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website. Bureau of Prisons spokesman Ed Ross says that date is based on the assumption the former Illinois congressman receives the maximum reduction of 54 days a year for good behavior. The 48-year-old Jackson entered a North Carolina prison Tuesday to begin serving a 2 1/2-year term for illegally spending $750,000 in campaign money on everything from cigars to a gold watch. Ross says federal statute calls for that reduction for a full year and a portion of that number for any partial year an inmate serves.