Originally published April 1, 2021. Statements about the law were updated in October 2026; the box below gives today’s rules.
Outcomes vary. A past result does not predict or guarantee the outcome of any other case.
In March 2021, a federal judge granted compassionate release to John Paul Dewey. The court pointed to the nature of his offense, his low risk to the community, and the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
Compassionate Release from Federal Prison
United States v. Dewey
2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 61201
Background of the case
John Paul Dewey was serving a 224-month sentence for a federal drug offense, with a projected release date of July 11, 2024, before he was granted compassionate release.
He was held at FCI Lompoc in California. To date, 627 prisoners and 22 staff members there have recovered from COVID-19, and three prisoners have died.
Dewey had been on parole for an earlier offense. His current sentence was for making three drug sales to an undercover informant. He is now 50 years old and has served 154 months of his sentence.
Why the judge said yes
The court found that the nature of his current offense and the low risk he poses to the community made him a good candidate for compassionate release.
Those reasons, together with the continuing threat to his health from the pandemic and the variants of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, led the court to grant his release.
His release conditions include a plan for COVID vaccination. The U.S. Probation Office will also verify his residence and set up a release plan that includes home confinement.
Read the court’s order granting John Paul Dewey compassionate release
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