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Study Confirms Positive Impact of Early Release Initiative

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 22:27:17 +0000

“I realized I could effect change as well as be the change,” said Brough, who now works as a driver transporting medical supplies and other goods across the Midwest. “It was fulfilling to know that my testimony played a pivotal role in the commission’s decision to make a rule change retroactive and allow more people like me to be released early and get a second chance at life.”

The Judiciary is making increased use of early release from supervision as a way to allow low-risk former supervisees to get their lives on track earlier than they otherwise could.

With early release, people who satisfy the terms of their probation and prove that they pose no danger to the community are freed from supervision before the date originally established by the court. Judges make the decisions on a case-by-case basis and must be satisfied that “such action is warranted by the supervisee’s conduct and is in the interest of justice,” according to a new report by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO).

The study found that the rate of approved early releases increased to 28 percent of all case closures in 2023, up from 22 percent in 2014. People who were considered low-risk based on scientific methods employed by probation offices were three times more likely to receive early termination than people in the high-risk category.

Early release from supervision can also remedy the excessive terms of supervision given to non-violent drug offenders in recent decades. The study showed that people convicted of drug offenses were about two times more likely to receive early termination – 34 percent – than those convicted of weapons or public order violations.

“Some people on supervision are at a high risk of recidivism and do need help, but that’s not everyone in our system,” said Thomas H. Cohen, an AO researcher who conducted the study. “The majority of them skew low risk. They should be monitored for some time, but if they demonstrate they are unlikely to commit a new crime, why not consider them for early release?”

Robert Gumm was one of those low-risk people on supervision after serving nearly seven years in prison. His eyes welled with tears when his U.S. probation officer called him with the news that he had been approved for early release from supervision. For the first time in over a decade, Gumm was a free man and he was determined to right wrongs and rebuild trust within his community.

“Nick, my probation officer, took a chance on me, and I’ve not let him down and I won’t let him down. But I also won’t let myself or my family down,” said Gumm, who now owns and operates a concrete business in Somerset, Kentucky. “The fact that he trusted in me meant everything to me.”

Gumm had been convicted of the illegal sale of the prescription drug oxycodone and served his time in a federal prison in Kentucky. Today, he is striving to be a positive force in his community. Gumm started a bass fishing team for junior and high school students and organized a fishing tournament for adults, which raised over $50,000 for Kentucky flood victims.

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Lawyer is accused of giving himself positive online reviews while disparaging another lawyer

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 23:27:39 +0000

Ethics

Lawyer is accused of giving himself positive online reviews while disparaging another lawyer

By Debra Cassens Weiss

September 18, 2024, 10:38 am CDT

Lawyer Aaron Korson of Chicago Family Attorneys wrote at least 28 five-star Avvo reviews and at least 16 five-star reviews of himself or his law firm on FindLaw, according to an Aug. 29 ethics complaint. (Image from Shutterstock)

Updated: “Aaron Korson is the best attorney I have ever met.” That sentence was in a review posted to Korson’s profile page on Avvo, an online marketplace for legal services. The author was Aaron Korson, according to an Aug. 29 ethics complaint filed by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

It was one of at least 28 five-star Avvo reviews that Korson gave himself over a period of nearly five years, the complaint alleges.

Korson also wrote at least 16 five-star reviews of himself or his law firm, Chicago Family Attorneys, on FindLaw, a business of Thomson Reuters that provides online legal information, the complaint alleges.

The Legal Profession Blog noted the complaint, which also alleges that Korson gave negative reviews to an attorney he thought was rude and that Korson neglected two cases.

Five stars are the top review on Avvo and FindLaw. The ethics complaint lists a sampling of the reviews, as well as the reviewer IP addresses, which sometimes repeated despite differing email addresses.

Korson told the ABA Journal in three emails that there are inaccuracies in the ethics complaint, and review email addresses attributed to Korson actually belong to his wife, mother and friends. He did not have access to those email addresses, he says. Also, the IP addresses in the complaint don’t match locations where he has been, he says.

The alleged fake reviews praised Korson as a “phenomenal attorney,” an “amazing attorney,” a “good hearted person,” a “great guy,” a “hard and aggressive litigator” who “knows how to stick it to the other person,” and “a strong attorney who will fight for your case tooth and nail.”

The complaint alleges that the fake reviews violated ethical rules barring conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.

But not all of Korson’s alleged reviews were glowing. He posted several negative reviews for a lawyer who took over a pro bono divorce case handled by Korson’s associate and then by Korson, the complaint alleges. Korson thought that the new lawyer, Mark Almanza, was rude in an email that sought the case file.

In a one-star review of Almanza, Korson allegedly wrote: “This attorney has a short fuse and he doesn’t earn the money he is paid. If I could leave him a zero star review. I would. He is a bad attorney.”

In another review, Korson allegedly wrote that Almanza was “an extremely rude practitioner. Steer clear.”

The ethics complaint alleges that the negative reviews served no purpose other than to embarrass, delay or burden Almanza, who had criticized Korson’s work in an Oct. 18, 2023, email seeking the case documents.

Almanza’s email asked why Korson had not entered an appearance in the case and claimed that he had to relitigate an issue because of a filing failure by Korson.

“I really hope that you are able to address these matters as they reflect rather poorly on the handling of this matter up to this point,” Almanza had written.

Korson responded that Almanza was rude and said his law clerk would send the documents within two days. Korson added that his mother had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, and he would be out of the office.

In later emails, Korson allegedly said Almanza “might be a complete idiot” and was “an absolutely terrible human being.”

Korson did not provide the client file until Nov. 4, 2023, three days after a court ordered production of the documents, the ethics complaint says.

Korson was also accused of failing to use reasonable diligence in representing two clients whose cases were dismissed. In one of the cases, he at first refused to refund the unearned portion of a $3,500 flat fee, the ethics complaint says.

In an email, Korson allegedly told the client who demanded a refund: “Read your contract as you actually owe us money.”

Korson told the Journal that the disciplinary attorney prosecuting the case is aware that some email addresses belong to family members.

“I am very disappointed that my family, friends and others whom I am a trusted attorney with and have worked on their behalf are being pulled into this,” Korson says. “Confusion and unnecessary accusations could have been avoided if the evidence was looked at thoroughly.”

Korson says he thought that the disciplinary process has been “highly irregular” and claimed that one attorney with the disciplinary commission yelled at him when he was sick and giving a sworn statement.

“Overall, this has been a very aggressive process, which has been surprising to say the least,” he says.

Updated Sept. 18 at 1:35 p.m. and at 2 p.m. to include lawyer Aaron Korson’s comments Updated Sept. 19 at 3:30 p.m. to clarify that Korson was accused of neglecting two cases.

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Probation and Pretrial Officers Help Bring Positive Change in the Community

homesafetytechpros — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 23:28:27 +0000

Main content

U.S. probation and pretrial officers must balance two very important goals: protecting public safety and helping people they oversee make positive changes in their lives.

In recognition of National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision (PPPS) Week, a new video explains the work of officers and their unique roles in the administration of justice, providing insight into how they do their jobs effectively.

Video of In Their Own Words: U.S. Probation and Pretrial Officers

“It’s the probation officer’s job to help assess the person under supervision and find out what their needs are. And once we know what their needs are, it’s our job to help motivate them and to … help collaboratively come up with that road map to get them to where they need to be,” said Justin Adams, a special offender specialist for the Western District of North Carolina U.S. Probation Office.

Officers work hard to help individuals who have been convicted of federal crimes to fully reintegrate themselves into society. Many face a wide range of needs, including employment, mental health treatment and even getting a driver’s license after spending time in incarceration.

“Not only am I working to help preserve community safety and looking out for the public, but I’m also working every day to help people make positive changes in their lives,” said Amanda Knox, a sentencing guideline specialist for the District of Arizona U.S. Probation Office.

PPPS Week is honored annually during the third calendar week of July to recognize the public service of community corrections professionals.

Learn more about the federal probation and pretrial services system.

Related Topics: Probation and Pretrial Services

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Suspended judge’s bond revoked after she tests positive for cocaine

homesafetytechpros — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 14:47:39 +0000

Judiciary

Suspended judge’s bond revoked after she tests positive for cocaine

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 29, 2024, 9:47 am CDT

A suspended criminal court judge has been booked into a Memphis, Tennessee, jail after she tested positive for cocaine while awaiting a trial on charges of coercing a witness and harassment. (Image from Shutterstock)

A suspended criminal court judge has been booked into a Memphis, Tennessee, jail after she tested positive for cocaine while awaiting a trial on charges of coercing a witness and harassment.

Judge Roy Morgan of Tennessee revoked bond for Judge A. Melissa Boyd of Shelby County, Tennessee, on Wednesday, report the Associated Press and the Commercial Appeal.

Besides facing criminal charges, Boyd has received two public reprimands since she became a judge in September 2022. She was criminally charged in December with harassment and trying to coerce or influence her former campaign manager to testify falsely, or to withhold truthful testimony, in an official proceeding. The trial is scheduled for April 24.

A lawyer for Boyd, Arthur Horne III, told Morgan on Wednesday that his client was “in a full relapse,” and that was the reason that she had not responded to an offer of a plea deal, according to the Commercial Appeal. She was released from a rehabilitation facility in late February.

Boyd was reprimanded in early May 2023 for a social media post in which the judge solicited charitable contributions while picturing herself in a judicial robe, according to the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct.

During that investigation, the board received affidavits from Boyd’s former campaign manager, a woman who had a close personal relationship with Boyd, who said she discovered what appeared to be cocaine in Boyd’s home and told her to get help.

The woman also said she woke up one morning and saw Boyd sitting in a car outside her house and taking pictures. Boyd allegedly accused the campaign manager of having a “whore” inside her home and appeared to be intoxicated. Boyd also allegedly texted the woman a picture of her prior marriage license and information about her divorce.

The former campaign manager told the conduct board that Boyd had asked her to withdraw her complaint.

The former campaign manager also recorded a conversation in which Boyd admitted that she occasionally used cocaine, the judicial conduct board said. As a result of illegal drug use, Boyd received a negotiated suspension on May 22, 2023. It was released as a public reprimand Oct. 31, 2023, because Boyd did not follow through with a promise to quickly address her substance abuse problems.

Boyd has been receiving full pay since her suspension in May 2023, according to the judicial conduct board, which is recommending Boyd’s removal. The Tennessee General Assembly has scheduled a vote on the recommendation for April 4.

Boyd has been receiving about $17,000 per month during her suspension, according to the Commercial Appeal.

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