Category: Legislation

On December 2, 2020, the House Judiciary Committee of Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held an Oversight Hearing on the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Marshal’s Service on how they are managing COVID-19. During this hearing, the committee questioned BOP Director Michael Carvajal and USMS Director Donald Washington on the progression of COVID-19 within their institutions.

There are many covid concerns in the federal prison system.  In this post, we examine an identified concern as well as  a proposed bill to address said concerns. Covid Concerns by Prison Employees and Inmates In an article for The Washington Post, Kim Bellware outlined a letter from Senators Warren and Durbin to Bureau of […]

This case may not have substantial implications for much other than Native Americans who are accused of committing a crime on a reservation.

The Smarter Sentencing Act, which has stalled several times before, is making its way through Congress. Learn more about the Smarter Sentencing Act here.

The BOP recently released a 102-page book to describe the development and implementation of its new PATTERN risk and needs assessment tool.

The Supreme Court judgement under Rehaif said that a felon must have knowledge that they are unable to be in possession of a firearm. Why is the Rehaif Case Important? The Rehaif case may be significant because of its consequences.  It is possible that there will now be a flood of litigation from defendants who will […]

The Elderly Offender Home Detention Program is a program by which an “Eligible Elderly Offender” or an “Eligible Terminally Ill Offender” can go home for the rest of their sentence.

The FIRST STEP Act makes changes to the way that “good time” is assessed by the Bureau of Prisons, retroactively applies the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, Reauthorizes the Second Chance Act, allows inmates to petition the court for compassionate release, bans the shackling of women during child birth, adds “sunlight” provisions to parts of these bills and several other things. This explainer will discuss a majority of portions of the Act.

The Sentencing Reform Act requires a district court to calculate and consider a defendant’s Guidelines range in every case. Hughes v. United States, No. 17–155, 584 U. S. ____ (2018)   Eric Hughes accepted a plea deal in 2013 after being accused of four charges related to drug conspiracy. He pled guilty to conspiracy to […]