Attorney General Holder Message to Prosecutors: End Sentence
Extortion
By Derek Gilna
Attorney
General Holder’s recent announcements bear repeating. For the first time, the nation’s top
prosecutor has turned the attention to prosecutorial overreach and made the
dysfunctional justice system a topic of national discussion, and not just to
prisoners and their families. Government
incompetence, heavy-handedness, and malfeasance, whether it be in the IRS ,
in the Secret Service, in the National
Health Service’s handling of the Ebola Crisis, or in myriad other agencies, has
shown itself to be widespread, and now, thanks to Holder, the nation’s justice system is right in
the middle of that discussion.
Think about
that for a moment. The federal
bureaucracy acts like it is doing us a favor, and thinks nothing of spying,
lying, and covering things up to further its own ends. The DOJ and BOP
are no different. Incompetence and misconduct are widespread. The “system” only
survives and thrives in the dark, and I have a big flashlight, and lots of
extra batteries.
As a
national columnist in prisoner and justice related topics for the past several
years, I have been fortunate to have access to news as it happens, a luxury
that many readers do not have, so I feel it is my responsibility to bring these
new developments to your attention, and to make you understand that there are
people on the outside that understand your circumstances, and are available to
help.
I am also
pleased to report that I accomplished what many people have said is not
possible; actually getting a federal prisoner approved for compassionate
release, because of his health issues.
Less than 25 prisoners obtained their freedom this way last year.
That is not
to say that your application would be successful, because everyone’s facts are
different. Good facts make good law, one
of my law school professors told me years ago (many years ago, I’m afraid), but
good facts without good advocacy are also meaningless. A woman, Susan Mellen, just walked free after
17 years in prison for a murder she did not commit, because she never lost
hope, never gave up, and had the help of a team who applied the same
diligence. Perhaps, with the advocacy of
people like Holder, with judges who will fairly address the wrongdoing of
prosecutors, with defense attorneys who will actually represent their clients,
and with specialists that understand the system, there will be more Susan
Mellens..
