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UPDATE: This story has taken a sad turn. This man should have been released yesterday - but when his wife went to pick him up, the prison said nevermind.
Now they have no idea when he’ll get out. Here’s what happened: https://twitter.com/keribla/status/1248293318389350400?s=20
Now they have no idea when he’ll get out. Here’s what happened: https://twitter.com/keribla/status/1248293318389350400?s=20
This man - who I'm not naming at his family's request - only went to prison last month; he self-surrendered in mid-March just a few days before the pandemic shut down visitation.
So his family - wife and several children - haven’t seen him since. Since she stays home and cares for the kids, they depend on him financially, and emotionally.
They have a baby who cries in the background when I call.
They have a baby who cries in the background when I call.
"My husband is nonviolent and is no threat whatsoever," the woman said. "He’s only in for a few months."
She's right; he has a short sentence, and is scheduled to get out later this year.
She's right; he has a short sentence, and is scheduled to get out later this year.
But during the pandemic, even a short sentence can be terrifying. And after he reported, his family soon grew worried that he wouldn’t make through - especially after Oakdale turned into a hotspot for the disease.
“I'm expecting him to be back in a few months, not dead from the coronavirus,” his wife told me a few weeks ago.
But then came the possibility of compassionate release. And her husband got it! Or so they thought.
After that happy flurry of texts she and I exchanged a few weeks ago, her husband was sent to quarantine for 14 days before release - which is what the BOP is routinely doing now due to COVID. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/26/federal-prisoners-coronavirus-150480
That meant no phone, no contact for two weeks. Which was fine - because after it all, he’d be home.
But then, on day 10 he called home - he’d been taken out of quarantine.
Prison officials decided he didn’t qualify for release because he hadn’t served 50 percent of his sentence. https://reason.com/2020/04/21/bureau-of-prisons-reverses-coronavirus-home-confinement-policy/
Prison officials decided he didn’t qualify for release because he hadn’t served 50 percent of his sentence. https://reason.com/2020/04/21/bureau-of-prisons-reverses-coronavirus-home-confinement-policy/
This has been a point of controversy in recent weeks, amid ever-shifting and unclear guidelines from the feds. https://abcnews.go.com/US/doj-clarifies-federal-inmate-release-guidance-confusion-plagues/story?id=70318981
But there’s a way around it: Even if the prison won’t release you, the courts can.
And this couple was overjoyed to learn this week the courts approved him for release.
And this couple was overjoyed to learn this week the courts approved him for release.
Just to be sure, his wife called the prison to ask if she should pick him up. They said yes!
So on Thursday, she drove there from out-of-state, waiting through backed up traffic at the state border.
So on Thursday, she drove there from out-of-state, waiting through backed up traffic at the state border.
Then she showed up at the door - and they said no.
“They told me to not waste my time and to go home,” she said.
“They told me to not waste my time and to go home,” she said.
The order was unclear, and the courts needed to fix it. So she headed back home.
When we spoke today, she she was calm - but disappointed.
She didn't have a lot to say, except: "I don't understand."
When we spoke today, she she was calm - but disappointed.
She didn't have a lot to say, except: "I don't understand."
