Prison and jail officials trying to stem the spread of the new coronavirus behind bars are releasing thousands of prisoners to await trial or serve their sentences at home, spurring a debate over public health versus public safety—and producing some seemingly inconsistent outcomes. Rufus Rochell, 68, who is serving a 35-year sentence for a drug…
Advocates for justice overhaul said Mr. Trump should be praised for his interventions. “Some people are trying to bash Trump for letting people circumvent the process and go directly to the White House,” said Amy Ralston Povah, the founder of the Clemency for All Nonviolent Drug Offenders Foundation. “But the system is broken.” While most…
President Trump granted a series of pardons and sentence commutations this week, a list that featured high-profile cases involving political corruption and corporate greed as well as more routine drug and fraud charges. In the 11 cases, Mr. Trump leaned on advice from friends and allies, as well as a woman he freed from prison in a…
Roughly 50,000 inmates at federal prisons meet criteria for release to home confinement based on guidelines in the CARES Act, and the Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons has largely failed to act, according to those who work with the incarcerated. Amy Ralston Povah is a federal inmate-turned-advocate who was granted clemency during the Clinton…
Daniel Brown has sought his release at least five times during his 14 years behind bars. Now the coronavirus pandemic might offer him his greatest chance at freedom. A federal judge in Iowa, where Mr. Brown was originally convicted on methamphetamine and gun charges, has agreed to reconsider his request for compassionate release—under which inmates…
Two prisoners at FMC Carswell have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the Bureau of Prisons, including a pregnant woman in critical care on a ventilator, her baby delivered early by C-section. Although federal directives call for the release of at-risk prisoners to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Carswell’s population remains essentially unchanged since…