Federal Prisoners
Skeptical of Fed’s Assistance in Clemency Initiative
By Derek Gilna
The past
week has seen a groundswell of concern from many federal prisoners regarding the
vitality of “Clemency Initiative 2014.”
Many of you who have submitted the online “application” are rightfully
concerned about the lack of progress on these forms thus far. I can not say
that I am surprised. The fed’s track
record at implementing its own programs is not stellar (see: “Second-Chance
Act,” “Compassionate Release”, etc.),
and I am afraid that this will be no exception.
This lack of progress is troubling because there was no group on record
opposing clemency.
It’s time
to take a realistic assessment of your chances, and to make alternate
arrangements for relief. First of all,
this was a “questionnaire” that you filled out, not an “application,” as
required by statute. The feds are free
to act or not act, because they are not statutorily obligated to do
anything. Second, there is no sign that
the machinery to process these applications is in place, especially since
Federal Public Defenders are not on board.
Finally, who will occupy the office of President in 2016 to approve
these applications, which only the President can do? Are you willing to take the chance that the
next President will feel as strongly about this initiative as this one? There is no time to lose.
It is one
thing to have the right idea, but another to get the whole federal bureaucracy
behind it. Right now, it appears to me
that these applications are in limbo, probably because the same group of
officials that worked so hard to get you locked up is now in the awkward
position of processing your request for sentence relief. (Can you trust a group of people who don’t
even give you the right number of days of “good time?”)
See: clemencyrelief.com.
