The court granted the petitioner's request for compassionate release to home confinement, reasoning that Mr. William's obesity and hypertension put him at risk for contracting a severe case of COVID-19 at the Orange County Jail (OCJ), thus constituting an "extraordinary and compelling reason" for release. The court noted that the OCJ had almost no recorded cases of COVID-19, but acknowledged "it could change at any time," and cited the "risks inherent in a prison setting." The court emphasized that the petitioner's criminal history and previous probation violation did not "deserve leniency," but granted conditional release nonetheless.
United States v. Williams, No. 12-CR-111-8 (CS), No. 570 (S.D.N.Y. July 16, 2020)
DETAILS
Decision
Date
7/16/2020
Practice Area
Criminal (State Charges)
Relief Requested
Release
Type of Court
Federal District Court
Location
New York
Type of Case
Individual
Case Characteristics
Parole or Probation Violations, Post-Conviction Detention [jail or prison], Pre-Existing Health Conditions, Significant Criminal History
Release Granted
Yes
Compassionate Release Case
Yes
Compassionate Release Specific Characteristics
Has a significant criminal history
Case Tracking Number
7:12-cr-00111-CS
MORE CASE INFORMATION
Court Name
S.D.N.Y.
Decision
Motion Granted
Place of Incarceration
Local / County Jail
Name of Facility
Orange County Jail
Legal Authority
First Step Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A)
Release Conditions
Home incarceration through Dec. 26, 2020, followed by 3 years supervised release; Self quarantine for 14 days following release; Possession of cell phone allowing video conferencing with Probation Dept.; Establish contact with P.O. immediately upon release
Convictions
Currently serving time for: narcotics conspiracy, possession of a controlled substance in third degree, violation of conditions of supervised release. Court mentions that the latest "case was his fifth conviction and fourth felony."
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.