Good Things Come in… 2’s?

Brown Law has long been an eager participant in the fight against mass incarceration. We have litigated on behalf of state and federal prisoners all over the country – many of whom were warehoused in prison and forgotten about by much of society. One of the most impactful areas of our work has been in…

Amendment 821 could lead to federal sentence reductions

Help could be on the way for an estimated 11,500 people who are currently serving federal sentences in the Bureau of Prisons. Two recent changes to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines – referred to collectively as Amendment 821 – could lead to significant sentence reductions. The Guidelines changes, generally speaking, apply to two groups: (1) people…

William Mitchell Is Free!

Sometimes lawyers meet extraordinary people who happen to be living behind prison bars. That is the case with Brown Law client William Mitchell, who earlier this month was freed after a Harford County judge agreed to reduce his sentence to, essentially, time served. William first contacted me in 2012, through his parents, when he was…

ADNAN IS FREE

September 16, 2022 For more than a decade I represented Adnan Syed. With the help of many others along the way, we achieved some amazing results – winning his post-conviction hearing, winning in the Court of Special Appeals, and, perhaps most importantly, keeping alive the hope that someday he would be freed. That day is…

Maryland’s Juvenile Restoration Act Gives Young Offenders Relief From Long Prison Sentences

On October 1, 2021, a breakthrough law will take effect that could grant early prison release for juvenile offenders serving long sentences. The measure is one of Maryland’s most significant criminal justice reforms in recent memory. The Juvenile Restoration Act, or JRA, lets state courts reduce sentences for people who committed a crime as a…