Posts by Brandon Sample
Bipartisan Unity Not Enough for Early Release
Report Shows the Need for Compassionate Release Last year, the Marshall Project and the New York Times released a report detailing the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ indifference toward the compassionate release of aging and dying prisoners. Providing prisoners with a serious opportunity for early release has been partially corrected by the recent passage of the federal…
Read MoreFAMM Report: Compassionate Release, Then and Now
FAMM Reveals a Need for Change A recent report done by Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) outlines the newest compassionate release guidelines released with the First Step Act. The biggest change? Taking the final decision on compassionate release away from the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and returning it to the courts. “Compassionate Release and the…
Read MoreCompassionate Release Ordered at Lompoc Prison to Combat COVID-19
Last week, Judge Consuelo Marshall ruled that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) must release low-risk offenders from Lompoc’s prison complex to home confinement. This decision came after the revelation that nearly 1,000 inmates have been infected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The lawsuit, originally presented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California,…
Read MoreCompassionate release petition accepted due to inadequate medical care
Seeking Compassionate Release Based on Inadequate Medical Care Unsurprisingly, federal prisons often provide inadequate medical care for their inmates. When prisoners petition for compassionate release based on a medical condition, the court considers the quality of care. In some cases, prisoners receive early release because the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) denied adequate care. Above all,…
Read MoreInmate Healthcare Is Inadequate, Says Former Mass. House Speaker of the BOP
BOP’s Inmate Healthcare Policies Are Inhumane. In his first interview since his release from federal prison, Sal DiMasi has begun to speak out on the way that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) treats inmate healthcare. The former Massachusetts Speaker of the House is now out on compassionate release, but his battle was hard-won. His goal…
Read MoreBOP’s Compassionate Release Guidelines Ignored by Court In Favor of Defendant
Bringing Home Both Sick and Terminal Inmates The First Step Act of 2018 provides the requirements for compassionate release petitions. Either a defendant or the Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) may file a motion to have the term of the defendant’s prison sentence reduced. All of the sentencing factors of 18 U.S.C. §…
Read MorePrisons Have Poor Record for Compassionate Release of Elderly Inmates
The Elderly Inmate Dilemma Nearly every state and federal prison in the United States is now facing a steady rise in elderly inmate populations. Prisoners who age behind bars do so at an accelerated rate. Oftentimes, inmates find themselves diagnosed with illnesses that someone twice their age would suffer from. Although both the federal government…
Read MoreStates Seek Changes in Early Release Programs for Sick and Elderly Prisoners
States Seek Policy Updates for Early Release Program Pennsylvania and Virginia are on the brink of serious financial and ethical problems in their state prisons. As the prison population grows older, more inmates require expensive healthcare that the state cannot afford. Now, both states are seeking to update laws so that more infirm prisoners can…
Read MoreMassachusetts Compassionate Release Short on Compassion
Compassionate Release: The Denial of the Dying Massachusetts recently passed a compassionate release law that allows for the release of chronically or terminally ill inmates. But it appears that actual compassion is lacking. The first prisoner to request, who is terminally ill, has been rejected. Alexander Phillips is 31 and serving an 18- to 20-year…
Read MoreCompassionate Release Petition Granted to Elderly Inmate
The First Steps in the Right Direction The First Step Act of 2018 now allows federal inmates the opportunity to petition for early release. Prisoners who meet other conditions and struggle with self-care from a serious disease may seek a compassionate release. Case law on early release continues to develop as the statute is new.…
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