We post news and comment on federal criminal justice issues, focused primarily on trial and post-conviction matters, legislative initiatives, and sentencing issues.
SOME BRIEF ITEMS FROM LAST WEEK…
Senators Want BOP COVID Deaths Investigated: Twenty-two Democrat senators asked the Justice Department inspector general on Thursday to review all of these deaths. “Although BOP investigates each case involving the death of an individual in their custody, these one-off reviews of each individual COVID-19-related death may not be sufficient to determine system-wide failures in care across the entire federal prison system,” they wrote. “A comprehensive review would not only provide a full accounting of the circumstances surrounding each individual loss of life but would also help policymakers establish whether the appropriate BOP policies were in place and being followed in each case, as well as whether new policies or practices should be implemented to reduce risk during the current pandemic and to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.”
Letter to Michael Horowitz from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and others (March 18, 2021)
BOP Launches Newsletter: The BOP Reentry Services Division announced last week it has launched a national inmate newsletter “to enhance communication with the inmate population.” Entitled “Reentry Quarterly,” this publication includes a variety of articles focused on reentry resources for a diverse audience with a goal of providing something meaningful for every inmate. Topics have included post-release housing, inmate discipline, financial responsibility, Medicare, anger management, education, drug treatment, career/work, and parenting.
BOP, Bureau Introduces National Inmate Newsletter (March 18, 2021)
Immigration Offenses Are Number 1 in 2020: Immigration offenses, followed by drug trafficking, were the most common crimes sentenced in federal courts last year, according to a US Sentencing Commission issued last week.
Reflecting the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, immigration violations alone accounted for 41% of the caseload, a slight uptick from 38% the previous year, the USSC said in its annual report.
The majority of those sentenced were Hispanic and just over 46% of the Hispanics were non-US citizens.
The Crime Report, Immigration Cases Took 41% of Federal Caseload in 2020 (March 16, 2021)
COVID News: The BOP vaccinated 2,481 inmates last week, bringing the total to 11.3% of the inmate population. During his testimony on March 18, BOP Director Michael Carvajal told the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies said that 100% of inmates will have been offered the vaccine by July 2021.
According to Carvajal, home confinement has been successful. Only 21 people sent home have been returned to prison, and only one of those for new criminal conduct. The others were sent back for violations of conditions.
House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, COVID Outbreaks and Management Challenges: Evaluating the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Pandemic Response and the Way Forward (March 18, 2021)
BOP, COVID-19 (March 19, 2021)
– Thomas L. Root