Dear friend,

I am happy and proud to let you know that the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs (WLC) just announced that it plans to present FAMM, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and Steven M. Salky with its 2020 Alfred McKenzie Award. The award will honor the Compassionate Release Clearinghouse. Mary Price, our General Counsel, will accept the award for FAMM on June 17.

The prestigious award was established in 1994 to recognize WLC clients whose dedication and courage have produced civil rights victories of particular significance.

FAMM, along with WLC and NACDL, established the Compassionate Release Clearinghouse in February 2019 to help federal prisoners who are dying, very ill, or elderly; but whose requests for compassionate release have been denied or ignored by the Bureau of Prisons. The Clearinghouse recruits, trains, and supports pro bono attorneys who represent prisoners applying for compassionate release.

As of today, the Clearinghouse has placed more than 100 cases and secured the release of more than 40 prisoners. Hundreds of lawyers have represented individuals referred by the Clearinghouse, hailing from more than 45 Federal Public Defender offices and 25 private law firms, solo practices, and law school clinics.

I am grateful to Mary for being such a smart and dedicated advocate for compassionate release reform. We believe expanding compassionate release is critical not only for those who receive it and their families, but also in forcing an important discussion about why so many people are serving such lengthy prison sentences.

Sincerely,


Kevin Ring
President, FAMM

P.S. You can learn more about our compassionate release work on our website: https://famm.org/our-work/compassionate-release/