The Overuse of the SHU during COVID-19
I am at the BOP’s premier medical facility and I had COVID-19 for around 5 weeks before converting to negative in late June. All evidence points to overuse of the SHU here as the cause of the virus spreading on the compound. Being a medical place, not much happens here. So they use the SHU…
Jurisdiction of White Collar Crimes
In 2014, the Bureau of Justice (BJS) conducted a study regarding white-collar crimes and their handling in various jurisdictions. However, what precisely classifies as a “white-collar crime” is rather abstract. For the sake of this study, the BJS defines it as: “Any violation of law committed through non-violent means, involving lies, omissions, deceit, misrepresentation, or…
Running into Ruin: Federal Prisons Fail at Containing COVID-19
Words from Coronavirus-Stricken Seagoville As I write this, I am incarcerated at a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facility near Dallas, Texas known as FCI Seagoville. As of early July, my institution is making headlines as the federal prison with the largest, uncontrolled infection of the novel coronavirus in the United States. And while the…
How the Courts Are Using Compassionate Release to Fix Unfair Sentence
Before beginning this article, here is a quick note from Dale Chappell and our friends at Criminal Legal News in regards to the re-printing of this article: “CLN asked me today if they had my permission to give you the CLN-edited version of the comp release article I sent to you. I said I would…
On the Failure of Prisons to Combat COVID-19
Dear Brandon, I noticed the newsletter article about the Seagoville COVID-19 outbreak, and would like to weigh in on a few facts: 1) When COVID-19 first started breaking out in the U.S., I informed our Warden Zook that if her staff continued to remove their masks around inmates this would break quarantine. There was no…
Death Penalty on the Decline in PA, but Still Stirs Up Controversy
The Controversy of the Death Penalty in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania is seeing a dramatic decrease in its use of the death penalty. In the past 57 years, the state has seen only three of these sentences carried out. And these executions only came after the inmates in question dropped their appeals. The state has not executed…
A Step Towards Limiting the Requirements for a Certificate of Appealability
Seeking a habeas corpus petition on the grounds that a defendant’s detention is unconstitutional is difficult. In order to appeal a denied habeas corpus petition, a defendant must obtain a certificate of appealability. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals took a step in the right direction to streamline this difficult process when it decided Illarramendi…
First Step Act Disappoints Thousands of Prisoners and Families Who Expected an Early Releases
A Fading Hope for Early Release Federal prisoners whose hopes were high for an early release thanks to the signing of the First Step Act are now unsure of their fates. While the new law will, to some degree, affect thousands of federal inmates good behavior credits, a small provision in the act has made…
Anthony Accurso’s Thoughts on Life in Lockdown
An article appeared in the Dallas Morning News for July 2, 2020 entitled “Prison Starts Mass Testing.” It details some of the conditions we’re dealing with here, and talks about the efforts of a local South Dallas woman, whose husband is currently incarcerated here, to get the warden to release inmates to home confinement using the…
Criminal Justice Reforms in NY Rely on a “Save More Money” Mantra
Advocates seeking criminal justice reform in New York are now attempting to appeal to their peers by using more conservative arguments. More specifically, advocates are focusing on driving awareness of just how expensive the current system is to taxpayers. New Yorkers United for Justice (NYUJ) recently hosted a panel at Hofstra University to discuss proposals…