The
self-proclaimed “King of the South” isn’t home yet, but Tuesday (December 22)
Atlanta rapper T.I. born Clifford Harris Jr., started the final
stages of his “Road to Redemption” (No
pun intended) after officially being released from a low-security federal
prison in Forrest City, Arkansas today and is on
the way to a halfway house to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

 

As
reported by MTV News: A
report from XXL magazine on Tuesday morning
first indicated that that rapper had been released. Steve Sadow, a lawyer who
represented T.I. in the case, confirmed the information to MTV News, but as of
press time, he wasn’t sure if his client had arrived at the halfway house.

 

According
to the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, the rapper will be serving out the remainder of his sentence at Dismas
Charities Atlanta West in Georgia. A spokesperson for Dismas could not be
reached at press time.

Last
week, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told MTV News that T.I. could be sent to a
halfway house
in January.

 

“If
his full-term release date is in March, it’s not uncommon for an individual to
be released to a halfway house to serve out the last portion of their federal
sentence,” Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Edmond Ross explained.
“There are a number of factors that need to be considered: if the person
is not a danger to the community, the current offense, the individual’s prior
criminal history, the availability of programs and space availability.”

 

According
to a representative for the agency who spoke with MTV news on Tuesday, however,
prison records indicated that T.I. was still in custody at Forest City. A rep
for the rapper’s label had no comment on the matter, but multiple sources close
to the rapper’s camp suggested that he was in fact released to the home on
Tuesday.

T.I.
was originally sentenced in April of this year to serve 366 days in prison
following an October 2007 arrest for illegally attempting to purchase firearms.
He began his prison stint in May, after serving over 1000 hours of community
service as a part of a plea deal he struck with prosecutors to avoid a lengthy
jail sentence. When he is released from the halfway home, he will have to
complete 500 more hours of community service and serve out the rest of his home
confinement, which could be upwards of 20 to 60 days.