WHEN YOUR CASE REQUIRES MORE THAN ORDINARY PRISON CONSULTING
Specialized guidance for clients and their attorneys in sensitive, high-profile, and complex federal cases.
You may not have heard of me because I don’t try to be everything to everyone. I work with defendants, families, and defense attorneys facing sensitive, high-profile, and complex federal prison cases that require specialized experience and practical insight.
Attorneys understand the law. My role is to address the prison issues that arise before sentencing and continue long after it. That includes preparing clients with sensitive offenses to enter prison safely, identifying PSR language that could affect designation, understanding SOMP and sex offender treatment issues, and addressing protective custody concerns before they become real problems.
Not every federal prison case requires specialized consulting. But when the stakes are unusually high, ordinary prison consulting isn’t enough.
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How I Help
Prison Strategy for Sensitive and High-Profile Cases
Preparing for federal prison involves dozens of decisions that can affect a client’s safety and daily life. I help clients and defense attorneys evaluate protective custody options, review PSR language for potential prison implications, understand SOMP and sex offender treatment requirements, prepare for designation, and develop a plan for entering federal prison safely and with realistic expectations.
Family Guidance and Crisis Planning
Families often face the same uncertainty as the defendant. I help families understand what to expect before sentencing, during incarceration, and after release, including preparing for designation, responding to prison emergencies, and separating fact from rumor during one of the most stressful periods of their lives.
Reentry and Supervised-Release Strategy
Release from prison is the beginning of a new phase, not the end of the process. I help clients pursue early termination of supervised release, understand and comply with release conditions, address registration-related concerns, overcome housing and employment obstacles, and develop practical strategies for long-term success after federal custody.
Federal Post-Conviction Consulting
Federal post-conviction work often requires more than filing motions. I assist clients and attorneys with case organization, issue identification, legal research support, and strategic preparation for post-conviction litigation. My role is to help ensure that important issues are identified, organized, and presented as effectively as possible.
Latest blog posts
In-Depth Insights
Practical analysis on federal custody, sentencing, post-conviction trends, and supervised-release issues, written for defendants, families, and attorneys who want clear, accurate information.
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What is Seditious Conspiracy?
Federal Prosecutors charged almost a dozen members of the Oath Keepers group with “seditious conspiracy” yesterday (Jan. 13, 2022), in connection with the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Let`s take a look at what they face, if convicted. What is Seditious Conspiracy Seditious conspiracy is a rarely charged but serious offense…
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Giving Prisoners a Second Chance in Court
It`s no secret that nearly every request for post-conviction relief by a prisoner gets tossed out of court before it even begins. This is because of the procedural hurdles that lawmakers and judges have thrown in the way of relief, even for valid claims. Lots of organizations and groups have attempted to fix the problem,…
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SENTENCING DECISION CONTINUES MISTAKEN BELIEF THAT LONG SENTENCES DETER CRIME
Experts agree it’s the fear of being caught that deters crime, and not the severity and length of the punishment. Yet, judges continue to defy logic by imposing sentences on the faulty premise that this is what works to deter crime. Take the case of United States v. Kimble, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 237529 (S.D.…
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FEDERAL COURT RETAINS JURISDICTION IF HABEAS PETITIONER TRANSFERRED OUTSIDE DISTRICT
When a prisoner files a habeas corpus petition in federal court, he must first determine the court where the petition must be filed and then who the “respondent” will be. Typically the federal district court nearest the prison is the proper venue, and the person having custody of the prisoner (usually the warden) is the…
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ALABAMA USES COVID RELIEF MONEY TO BUILD NEW PRISONS
Unsurprisingly, lawmakers in Alabama have decided to use money the federal government gave the state to recover from COVID-19 to build more prisons. That’s right: One of the states hit hardest by the pandemic is taking money intended for its struggling residents so it can lock up even more of them. This is the same…
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WHEN IS A STATE PROCEDURAL RULE INADEQUATE TO AVOID PROCEDURAL DEFAULT ON FEDERAL HABEAS REVIEW?
State prisoners must “exhaust” all their post-conviction remedies in state court before bringing a claim in federal court on habeas corpus review. If they don’t follow the state’s procedural rules, they risk having their claim “procedurally-defaulted” (or procedurally-barred) in federal court and their habeas petition dismissed. The only way around this is to show “cause…
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Supervised Release Special Conditions Must be Pronounced Orally in Court
A sex offender is handed numerous “special conditions” as part of supervised release, in addition to the “standard” conditions that apply to every offense. This includes residency restrictions, mandatory sex offender counseling, and lots of other burdens that could land that person back in prison. For this reason, this case is an important one for…
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CORAM NOBIS BLASTS THROUGH AEDPA BAR
The writ of coram nobis has been called an “ancient remedy” by some, and the courts have called it an “extraordinary remedy” that’s rarely used anymore. But this case proves that coram nobis can also be a battering ram to break down obstacles to habeas relief created by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act…
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USING A RULE 60 MOTION AFTER A CHANGE IN LAW
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently held that a Pennsylvania State prisoner was allowed to use a motion under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) to reopen his old federal habeas corpus case based on new circuit case law, that would have been granted, had a new change in decisional law…