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In an effort to reduce the Federal prison population, the Department of Justice has begun a clemency initiative. This initiative offers non-violent offenders, who had been sentenced to long prison terms as part of the “war on drugs,” the opportunity to seek early release.

This initiative began late last year, when President Obama granted commutations to prisoners facing life imprisonment for offenses such as “conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.”

To be considered under the program, inmates must meet the following criteria:

1) currently serving a federal sentence in prison and, by operation of law, likely would have received a substantially lower sentence if convicted of the same offense(s) today;

2) non-violent, low-level offenders without significant ties to large scale criminal organizations, gangs or cartels;

3) served [Read More…]

The Boston Municipal Court (BMC) has recently established a special veterans treatment court session. The purpose of this new offering is to “incorporate rehabilitative and treatment services for veterans by providing them with the tools and services to help them overcome substance abuse issues, alcoholism, mental health issues and emotional disabilities.” If you have spent time in Boston, you are probably aware that many of our area’s homeless are veterans; sadly, mental health issues often land these individuals in court.

The veterans program at the BMC is modeled after a pilot program started in 2012 at the Dedham District Court, which has proved to be successful. In fact, late last year, the first group of veterans to participate in the program “graduated” after completing the [Read More…]