Advocating for compassionate release of prisoners serving extreme sentences in federal prison
In the U.S., more than 200,000 people are spending life or virtual life sentences (at least 50 years) in prison. They represent one in seven of those imprisoned — highlighting mass incarceration as an urgent civil rights challenge. It’s one that Joseph Margulies is tackling in partnership with FAMM – Families for Justice Reform in Washington, D.C. Dedicated to ending extreme sentencing, the national organization identifies clients for the project.
Undergraduates work closely with Margulies and other lawyers handling these cases pro bono. Supported by an Engaged Opportunity Grant, team members gather records and supporting documents, travel to federal prisons for interviews, track down and interview witnesses, and help draft pleadings. The goal is to craft a nuanced and compassionate account of the client’s life history to make the case before a federal judge that the sentence should be reduced for “extraordinary and compelling” reasons. Students learn not only cultural humility, sensitive listening and insights into the law but also that “There is no them, there is only us.”
Advocating for compassionate release of prisoners serving extreme sentences in federal prison
In the U.S., more than 200,000 people are spending life or virtual life sentences (at least 50 years) in prison. They represent one in seven of those imprisoned — highlighting mass incarceration as an urgent civil rights challenge. It’s one that Joseph Margulies is tackling in partnership with FAMM – Families for Justice Reform in Washington, D.C. Dedicated to ending extreme sentencing, the national organization identifies clients for the project.
Undergraduates work closely with Margulies and other lawyers handling these cases pro bono. Supported by an Engaged Opportunity Grant, team members gather records and supporting documents, travel to federal prisons for interviews, track down and interview witnesses, and help draft pleadings. The goal is to craft a nuanced and compassionate account of the client’s life history to make the case before a federal judge that the sentence should be reduced for “extraordinary and compelling” reasons. Students learn not only cultural humility, sensitive listening and insights into the law but also that “There is no them, there is only us.”
- Joseph Margulies, Department of Government, College of Arts & Sciences
- Community Partner: FAMM – Families for Justice Reform
Providing seed support for a wide range of community-engaged learning projects