Sentencing: Policy presented by Marc Mauer, Executive Director, The Sentencing Project

Race Matters I: The Impact of Race on Criminal Justice
September 14-15, 2017 | Detroit, MI

2023 marks the 50^th year since the U.S. prison population began its extraordinary surge. As advocates mark 50 years of mass incarceration, what is needed to meaningfully decarcerate our nation’s jails and prisons?

22^nd Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference
August 16-17, 2023 | Held Virtually

What are a criminal defense attorney’s duties to the client when the attorney learns that jail or prison communications between the attorney and client are subject to official monitoring?

Explore the recent amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines that took effect on November 1, 2023, in particular those that permit for a reduction in sentence. They will offer a comprehensive overview of the these amendments, the government’s latest position on them, and practice tips on making the most of them for your clients.

For incarcerated people, the conclusion of court-based litigation usually signals the end of all relationships with attorneys. However, people sentenced to a term of imprisonment continue to need lawyers. For example, they need assistance when corrections officials miscalculate their sentencing credit, and they need help seeking release when physical or cognitive decline leaves them disabled or on the brink of death.

The seminar discusses a review of evaluation, designation, treatment and BOP procedures for prisoner placement and follow up. Mr. Jack Donson discusses the BOP requirements and regulations and Dr. Diane Sommer provides in-depth information referencing her thirty-five years of experience as a doctor, twenty of which were in the BOP as well as her time in the military.

While often justified as a way to deter violence inside facilities, solitary confinement is more often used to punish non-violent transgressions such as dress code violations, refusal to work, or lack of respect toward correctional officials. Despite the failure of the U.S. Supreme Court to find that solitary confinement per se violates the Eighth Amendment, increasing numbers of stakeholders, including correctional officers, have called for its abolition.

The presentation includes a brief PowerPoint presentation on topics from the Female Offender Manual. A panel discussion follows to address questions on the policy, medical treatment, special needs and challenges regarding the administration of female facilities. 

NACDL has serious concerns with many of the changes in the proposed rule Inmate Discipline Program: Disciplinary Segregation and Prohibited Act Code Changes, 89 FR 6455. …the proposed regulations provide no protections for people in administrative segregation and other forms of solitary confinement. Second, the creation and elevation of disciplinary violations … will lead to arbitrary and capricious enforcement and further erode public trust in the agency. Third, the proposed ban on social media accounts … impedes a critical component of successful reentry...

Many states have passed legislation limiting or prohibiting solitary confinement for certain groups, including pregnant women and young people. Although the pace of change has been slow in the solitary confinement landscape, it is moving in the right direction.

As diagnosed behavioral health complexities continue to rise in the general population, so is true in the criminal legal system.  According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 80% of inmates have a history of drug or alcohol abuse.  Addiction being a biopsychosocial disease is often comorbid with a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health condition, this condition is better treated medically rather than penalized legally.

Mr. Jack Donson, Executive Director of the Federal Prison Education and Reform Alliance, along with moderator, Patricia Cresta-Savage, Chair of the Corrections Committee, discuss the recent updates to the "How to Navigate the Prison System Guide." Mr. Donson discusses navigating the BOP from pre-trial to sentencing classification and post-conviction. He reviews the updated Guide to include the links to documents, references, policies and procedures for incarcerated individuals, practitioners, and their families.

Prison Reform: Learning from AMEND’s Research and Reform Approaches. Presented by David Cloud, AMEND at UCSF, San Francisco, CA and Jerry Buting, moderator, Buting, Williams & Stilling, S.C., Brookfield, WI

Memo prepared for the webinar "Everything You Wanted To Know About Federal Compassionate Release (But Didn’t Know To Ask)."

Navigating the federal criminal justice system’s policies, procedures, and practices can feel insurmountable. From pre-trial through post-sentencing and on to pre-release, a web of “program statements” and institutional practices guide the Federal Bureau of Prisons in making decisions relating to confinement and release. This guide is designed to help ease some of those challenges. Each section highlights obstacles confinement poses and offers resources and strategies to overcome these barriers. Prepared by the NACDL Corrections Committee. [Released Mar 2021; updated Nov 2023]