Cassidy Levy Kent’s Washington office recently secured a victory in a pro bono matter under Washington, D.C.’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act. Late last month a District of Columbia judge released our client from custody, and he will now begin a new chapter in life.
Our client’s original sentence was wrongly calculated based on a computational error that resulted in a nearly doubled term in prison, and which massively exceeded other sentences for the same crime. The incorrect and excessive sentencing resulted in a decades-long federal prison stay that covered nearly his entire adult life. Following the firm taking on the case last year, our team filed a motion seeking a reduction in the client’s sentence, which led to a hearing last month and a bench ruling from the Court compelling his immediate release.
In evaluating the sentence reduction, the Court considered eleven factors including the defendant’s history and characteristics, institutional conduct, and evidence of maturity, rehabilitation, and fitness to reenter society. Ultimately, the judge concluded that “few defendants have paid their debt to society” more than the firm’s client.
Following the Court’s ruling, the firm collaborated with family members and Bureau of Prison officials to ensure our client had a smooth transition from a federal prison in California. Now near his childhood home in Washington, D.C., he will live in supervised transitional housing, obtain medical, financial literacy, and other support, and pursue employment using skills he developed while incarcerated.
The firm prides itself on service to the local community and encourages firm personnel to support a wide variety of pro bono work. Like all our work, in this matter the firm was pleased to help our client succeed in securing his legal rights. We are also grateful for the support provided by our client’s family and friends, and together with our client, wish them all the very best going forward.