As criminal defense attorneys, you’re on the other side of the bench; this is my firsthand perspective.

In 2006, I was convicted of a felony and served a 1-year, 1-day sentence for Mail Fraud for my Medical-Surgical Suites billing before officially certified that I owned. While there was no Medicare or Medicaid Fraud, this was a terrible, embarrassing, and humbling self-inflicted experience.

In 2010, I was grateful to have my license to practice reinstated in full, which was good for my soul. Several years later, I realized several things,

1st) In addition to being a terrible and terrified client, in the end, I was unprepared for everything related to the Law, Sentencing, and what to expect once inside Federal Prison.

2nd) Judges understand that crimes don’t occur in a vacuum – they want to understand the why and what happened that caused the breaking of the law and hear that explanation from the person they are about to sentence while having Remorse for the Victims and Accepting Responsibility.

3rd) When is the best time to provide this?
Provide to the Probation Officer 1-2 Weeks before The Presentence Interview in a well-organized format, this includes,
Copies of all:
1. Personal Identification
2. Biographerical Background Information

Well Written;
1. Personal NARRATIVE
2. RELEASE Plan
3. Previously Reviewed: FSA SPARC-13 Assessment Survey and PATTERN SCORE
4. ALLOCUTION

Marc
Dr. Blatstein
Published, Co-Author
1. The Federal Lawyer, 2021, The Critical Role of The Presentence Report
2. ABA, 2022, Dementia