(1) Federal Sentencing in the age of COVID-19; for drug crimes from the U.S. National Library of Medicine – Evidenced Based Diversion Sentencing (a step by step process clearly explained).
- This is critical as prisons are perfect petri dish incubators for contagions to multiply as in the cruise ship; e.g., Diamond Princess.
- With ~600K inmates released each year with no current treatments available;
- Any contagion that spreads to inmates, BOP correctional staff and their families, will ultimately make its way into our local communities.
- JAMA Intern Med. Published online April 28, 2020
(2) Compassionate Release /COVID19; while to my understanding it’s been difficult-impossible to get in past years, with COVID19, these examples just appear cruel:- A federal judge called the Bureau of Prisons release process “Kafkaesque.”
- Federal Prisons Told Inmates They Were Coming Home Because of COVID-19. Then They Took It Back.
- Important in making your case may be based on what we know regarding those who are at high-risk for COVID-19, (per the CDC):
- People 65 years and older
- People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility (CARE LEVEL III or IV).
- People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:
- People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma.
- People who have serious heart conditions.
- People who are immunocompromised
- cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation,
- immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and
- prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications.
- People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher).
- People with diabetes.
- People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis.
- People with liver disease.
- I recommend the website UpToDate, an excellent resource tool for clinicians, hospitals, and hospital systems.
- Established table of epidemiologic risk factors for severe COVID-19[1-6]
(3) 5-15-2020; Halfway House photos show no 6′ social distancing or masks being used.
