Shauniqua Rodriguez moved for compassionate release after health and safety concerns arose at both the Cimarron Detention Center and FPC Alderson facilities. The court had previously found “extraordinary and compelling reasons” for sentence reduction and granted Rodriguez's motion due to her preexisting conditions of substance use and obesity, allowing her to serve out the rest of her sentence under home incarceration at her grandmother's residence. The court refused to alter its ruling, even after Rodriguez moved from a private facility to a BOP facility with better COVID protections and tracking.
United States v. Rodriguez, No. 445 (W.D.N.Y. Mar. 24, 2021).
DETAILS
Decision
Date
03/24/2021
Practice Area
Criminal (Federal Charges)
Relief Requested
Release
Type of Court
Federal District Court
Location
New York
Type of Case
Individual
Case Characteristics
Post-Conviction Detention [jail or prison], Pre-Existing Health Conditions
Release Granted
Yes
Compassionate Release Case
Yes
Case Tracking Number
1:18-cr-00049-RJA-JJM
MORE CASE INFORMATION
Court Name
W.D.N.Y.
Decision
Motion Granted
Place of Incarceration
Federal Prison
Name of Facility
Federal Prison Camp, Alderson
Legal Authority
First Step Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A), Other, Fed. R. Crim. P. 37(a)(3)
Legal Authority
Executive Order on Reforming Our Incarceration System to Eliminate the Use of Privately Operated Criminal Detention Facilities
Release Conditions
Home incarceration for the remaining term of imprisonment; supervised release of 3 years after incarceration; subject to all standard and special conditions of supervised release stated in the original judgment
Case Status
Decision Made
Pre-Existing Health Conditions
Obesity, Other, Substance Use Disorder, Unspecified Mental Illness
Pre-Existing Health Conditions Notes
Substance Use Disorder for unspecific substance; Obesity with unspecified BMI
COVID-19 Positive or Symptomatic
No
COVID-19 in Jail Prison or Detention Center
Yes
Potential Research
Both of the cases I have reviewed so far involved people with other medical conditions. Were courts more willing to grant compassionate release motions when the movants had preexisting conditions, rather than someone concerned about the risk of COVID-19 alone?
Litigation Database
Crowdsourced legal documents from around the country related to COVID-19 and incarceration, organized, collected, and summarized for public defenders, litigators, and other advocates. Created and managed by Bronx Defenders, Columbia Law School’s Center for Institutional and Social Change, UCLA Law COVID-19 Behind Bars Data Project, and Zealous. Mostly federal court opinions, but now expanding to states and legal filings, declarations, and exhibits.
This resource is designed to help lawyers, advocates, researchers, journalists, and others interested in challenging, remedying, or drawing attention to the grave risk that Covid-19 poses to individuals who are detained.