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Last night I tweeted about Patrick Jones – the first person to die in federal prison due to #COVID19. Tonight, I want to give more information about his case and his story so he’s not relegated to a statistic.https://twitter.com/vanitaguptaCR/status/1244771689910743041 …
Jones was sentenced in 2007 under the old crack v. powder cocaine disparity – a feature of the failed war on drugs and a grave injustice. Congress changed the law with the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act, but many people didn't benefit from the law retroactively. Jones was one of them.
Over 95% of federal criminal convictions are obtained via plea bargain, but Jones didn’t take one. Instead, he went to trial & lost, and was hit w/ a sentencing enhancement for distribution in a school zone – a charge too often used as punishment when defendant won't take a plea.
In 2016, Jones applied for clemency under Obama’s clemency initiative, but he was denied. He was also eligible for a sentence reduction under the Trump-signed First Step Act, but federal prosecutors opposed the sentence reduction – and a judge agreed. He was denied again.pic.twitter.com/nx2RAX3Xy8
Jones’ prior convictions were used as the basis for denying his application for a sentencing reduction, even though they took place when he was 17 years old (30+ years ago) AND he had already served more than a decade for his drug offense. This shouldn’t have disqualified him.
Despite his best intentions, there was no relief. He tried multiple times to have his sentence reduced – his 27-year sentence for a drug offense – but he was told ‘no’ every time. Please remember that: 27 years for selling crack and refusing to take a deal.
There are so many more Patrick Joneses who are incarcerated, whose names we do not know, who should be released immediately. After all, nearly half of the federal prison population is there for a drug offense. Thousands are serving life sentences for drug offenses.
They are mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They are real people with families.
This administration must use the discretion it has under current law, including the CARES Act, to immediately release as many people as possible. And ultimately, we must transform the criminal legal system to prevent another Patrick Jones from happening. Lives are at stake.
Reminder of the involvement of my good friend Joehttps://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1141675904017371136 …
But what were the specific reasons his sentence reduction requests were declined?
I was wondering that too and also wondering why he was in over 30 years on a 27 year sentence
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