A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves EPUB/Wish4book

A vivid and provocative account of six cases by a sitting federal judge, making the case for rethinking excessive sentences

Murderous mafia capos. The police officer who assaulted Abner Louima. A supplier of child pornography. These are some of the defendants who appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block to ask for a reduction in their prison sentences. They have all been found guilty and have already spent decades in prison, but under the First Step Act of 2018 they have the right to petition for reconsideration and release.

In a rare glimpse behind the court, Judge Block recounts the cases of six imprisoned people who committed horrific acts but nevertheless petitioned him for their release. He then explains the criteria that the First Step Act has set out for him. And in a new twist, he asks the reader, “What would you do?”

Judge Block draws us out of our suspense in a third part of the book, in which he tells us what he did in each case and why, as he weighs each compassionate release request, evaluating issues ranging from “the burden of trial” to the disparities in the penalty. , to judicial incompetence. Finally, Judge Block makes the compelling argument that the First Step Act should be extended to state court judges since state prisons house approximately 90 percent of inmates. In a book that could form the basis for a new season of Law & Order, Judge Block challenges our ideas about punishment and justice.