1398
PUBLIC LAW 91-538-DEC. 9, 1970
[84 STAT.
As usid in this agrtement: "(a) 'State' shall mean a State of tine United States; the United States of America I a territory or possession of the United States; the District of Columbia; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. "(b) 'Sending State' shall mean a State in which a prisoner is incarcerated at the time that he initiates a request for final disposition pursuant to article III hereof or at the time that a request for custody or availability is initiated pursuant to article IV hereof. "(cj 'Receiving State' shall mean the State in which trial is to be had on an indictment, information, or complaint pursuant to article III or article IV hereof. "ARTIOLB III
"(a) Whenever a person has entered upon a term of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution of a party State, and whenever during the continuance of the term of imprisonment there is pending in any other party State any untried indictment, information, or complaint on the basis of which a detainer has been lodged against the prisoner, he shall be brought to trial within one hundred and eighty days after he shall have caused to be delivered to the prosecuting omcer and the appropriate court of the prosecuting officer's jurisdiction written notice^ of the place of his imprisonment and his request for a final disposition to be made of the indictment, information, or complaint: Provided, That, for good cause shown in open court, the prisoner or his counsel being present, the court having jurisdiction of the matter may grant any necessary or reasonable continuance. The request of the prisoner shall be accompanied by a certificate of the appropriate official having custody of the prisoner, stating the term of commitment under which the prisoner is being held, the time already served, the time remaining to be served on the^ sentence, the amount of good time earned, the time of parole eligibility or the prisoner, and any decision of the State parole agency relating to the prisoner. (b) The written notice and request for final disposition referred to in paragraph (a] hereof shall be given or sent by the prisoner to the warden, commissioner of corrections, or other official having custody of nim, who shall promptly forward it together with the certificate to the appropriate prosecuting official and court by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested. "(c) The warden, commissioner of corrections, or other official having custody of the prisoner shall promptly inform him of the
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