In a significant development for criminal justice reform, Maryland’s General Assembly has approved the Second Look Act, sending it to the governor’s desk for signature. The law aims to offer a second chance to individuals serving lengthy prison sentences, acknowledging the potential for personal growth and rehabilitation. Why the Second Look Act Matters Now At…
When we first met Allen Finke, some four years ago, it seemed like all hope had been lost. Allen had been in prison more than 40 years for a crime he did not commit. His health was failing. He had tried almost every kind of legal remedy, and nothing had worked. Brown Law agreed to…
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…
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…
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…
A Prince George’s County judge vacated the murder conviction of Brown Law client Marlon Marshall, finding that his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective for failing to consult a DNA expert. The case was litigated by Brown Law attorneys Justin Brown and Lylian Romero. Marshall had been convicted in a 2017 murder that occurred at a…
In recent months, Maryland, like the rest of the country, has seen an uptick in PPP loan fraud prosecutions. These cases are just winding their way through the courts, but it seems likely they will continue to be a focus of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Baltimore, Maryland, long after the peak of the pandemic….
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…
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…
In recent decades, there has existed a resounding finality to federal prison sentences. Once a sentence was imposed – no matter how unfair it may have been – it was virtually impossible to get it reduced. Federal law often tied the hands of judges, and forced them to impose punishment that was vastly disproportionate to…
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