Third Stimulus Check of $1400 Probable:
by Derek Gilna
A third
stimulus check, for $1400, appears probable, but is NOT yet final. . However, it is still unclear how and when
individuals in custody will receive it, If you previously received at least one
of the checks, you should receive this one via the same means and at the same
address as previous payments. It becomes even more important to get your 2020
1040 on file, so that you get into the
Federal
prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic have lived with the dangers and
dehumanizing effects of bureaucratic
bungling on a daily basis, but the current outbreak at
DOJ is
still clueless as to how to stem the up and down trend of infection and
reinfection, and poorly positioned to fight the newest variants of the virus,
predicted to become common by March.
DOJ clearly has NO
U.S. Attorneys offices around the country have been instructed by DOJ to prioritize locating and prosecuting suspects in the Capitol siege, (other than other offenses?) while the agency braces for probable marijuana legalization in the near future, the legislative elimination of the disparity between powder and crack cocaine, and the prospect of defending thousands of new prisoner filings if the changes are made retroactive.
I get many questions from those who fear that Biden will be Obama 2.0 when it comes to broad reform: a lot of hype with only minor reforms. However, Trump "blew up" the old way of looking at sentence relief with FSA, forcing Biden to think bigger. His DOJ will look much different, as more progressive officials like Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke begin the task of reshaping the agency. Will he go bold and appoint a new prisons director?. Another key is getting more progressive U.S. Attorneys appointed in districts where offices have been used as "farm teams" for young, ambitious, and often ruthless prosecutors seeking higher office on the backs of overcharged defendants.
Although DOJ seems determined to limit sentence credit for work and institutional educational programs, this will come under intense Congressional scrutiny. Also remember that Pell grants will soon be available for those seeking to further their education while imprisoned., an important development.
One area where DOJ will probably not change is in its hunger for money, a strange priority in a federal government where a billion dollars is often treated as a rounding error. The DOJ playbook on white-collar matters is simple: blame a problem, like opiods, on a deep-pocket defendant that they can tap for millions, like Purdue Pharma ($573 million), while trolling for small-fish to criminally prosecute to get headlines. Also, is a national scandal brewing on what the government does with the moneys forfeited by defendants, but never finds its way to "victims?"
Fortunately,
courts are still carefully considering petitions for relief based upon FSA
language and "covered offenses." An interesting case asked the
question of whether a conviction for a
"dual object conspiracy is a 'covered offense' under Section
404(a)" and granted relief.
Be not afraid, and let not your heart be troubled.
