Everywhere and Nowhere Compassionate Release in the States

Compassionate release allows prisoners facing imminent death, advancing age, or debilitating medical conditions to secure early release when those developments diminish the need for or morality of continued imprisonment. At FAMM, we routinely hear from prisoners and their loved ones seeking information about how to secure compassionate release. We have listened to heart-wrenching stories of families like Lynn and Bernie’s, who are trying to help sick and dying prisoners navigate an absurdly complicated and confusing process for release. They do not understand how to ask for compassionate release or interpret eligibility criteria. They encounter walls of silence and endure lengthy delays. Most are turned down.