A victory for compassion. Proving again that compassionate release is not just for the wealthy and well-connected, Larry Karr is now home. Karr was sentenced in 2018 for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. He now has stage IV lung cancer.
The Clearinghouse for Compassionate Release, which @MaryfromFAMM helped to establish and manage, was able to find Mr. Karr excellent pro bono counsel at #Zuckerman, who filed a motion for his release. The government filed a nasty and illogical opposition to the motion...
...arguing among other things that while Mr. Karr is terminal, his motion should be denied because no one knows precisely when he is going to die (while acknowledging he had been given less than 12 months to live).
They also argued that because he can eat and move short distances, he does not qualify as terminal. The judge, a Trump appointee in Kentucky, roundly rejected the government’s arguments...
...and held that “the compassionate release statute does not require that the Court hear the death rattle before acting.” Mr. Karr's family is grateful to have him home for his remaining days. We're happy for them. And society is no less safe.
The compassion in compassionate release is not just for the incarcerated individual, but for his or her innocent family members who want closure at the end of life. We need more of this and states should look at the new federal model created in the First Step Act.
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