Perhaps this is something someone knows something about...I know that I know nothing :)

My BF is going back for re-sentencing on Tuesday...he violated parole & expects the judge to sent him back to prison for the remainder of his sentence...his argue hopes to argue that what he did to violate parole was so minor that it is unreasonable for him to go back to prison...and keep him out of prison this time, or perhaps reduce the amount of time he has to go back for, or maybe get him sent back to a halfway house...or what have you...

I hope I have presented that accurately...

The lawyer admits that it might be "helpful" if I write a letter on my BF's behalf..."it probably won't do anything..." but...I'm certainly willing to give it a shot...

I'm uncertain about what to say, however...

I know not to be emotional and say "Oh, he's great, I want to be with him so let him come be with me...":)

So I'm thinking things along the lines of: he can live with me; I'm a "good" person (never been in trouble with law); (What makes me a "good" person anyway?); I could provide him with a place to live, stability, financial support for a little while at least, he'd be better off with me than in prison because it would be more rehabilitative (?), we'd be saving the taxpayers money, he could pay his restitution sooner...I don't know. Am I on the right track? ANY advice would be so WELCOME.

I am kind of freaked out about all of this and I appreciate your support.

Thank you.....

Emme

emme, you can say he is very very sorry, & promises to never ever do it again. J/k

Here is a post that I made a few months ago, I think it will give you a rough idea what they are looking for. This is for a parole board but it will do just as good for a judge. Like you said it won't hurt, & it's always worth a try. Good luck to the both of you.------Ken

Get family members & friends to write letters of support. Do your best to show you have a stable home for him when he gets out. These show the board that he has a support group to help him when he gets out, & that he's not going back to the same environment that sent him in to begin with. If he has had a drug &/or drinking problem, look into AA &/or NA, & get a schedual of meetings, & location of meetings, to show that he will be continueing his rehab once outside.

If at all possible try & arrange employment, or show that he will be enrolling with a job search company. List every job skill he had before being locked up, & any job skills he got while locked up. You want them to know he has a job, or is very employable, & will have no problem getting a job.

Draw up a release plan that will explain what his plans are once he is out. Give as much detail as you can. This can be an overview of the above i.e.;

Sample,

When he gets out he will be living with his family who love & care for him (list names & ages), in a home you have lived in for (how many years), He has many friends who are committed to helping him in his transition, & to offer what ever support he may need (list friends & ages, & show their letters of support), He will be attending meetings (state type of meeting, schedual of meetings (plan many a week) & locations), State that upon release he will be reporting to work at (give name & address of company), or he will be reporting to (give name of company & address) to look for work, & he should have no problem getting a job because (name all his job skills, & membership in any union, or organization). His family & friends have offered to help him get to any interviews, meetings, or appointments. We will be attending (name church) which we have attended for (state how long). We are a drug & alcohol free home, & with his commitment to live a drug & alcohol free life, & with the support of his family, friends, employer, & church, we feel that he will be able to successfully transition to a normal life.
We are both committed to him following his parole officers guidlines, & conditions to the letter. ......etc. etc. etc.

But you get the idea anyway. Pile it on thick, don't leave anything out. What you may think is unimportant, they may think is important. Find out the best way to get this packett to the board, whether through him, his counslor, whoever. If you send it to someone else send him copies, & keep copies for your self.

He may also want to submit a statement or read a statement, showing remorse for his crime, the hurt he caused his victims, & his family, & friends. Explain how he ended up committing crimes, & how he won't fall back into the same trap. etc, etc, etc,

sorry for the long winded reply, sometimes I get carried away, LOL. Good Luck--------Ken

PS there is no guarantee that this will work, but it wont hurt. Parole Boards eat this up. They like to think that locking someone up did help to turn the prisoner around.

thank you, ken, this was most useful. my letter is all ready to go...i appreciate your assistance.

E.

Just curious.. can you write to the Judge who has yet to sentence someone with all this information? Or is that not politically correct? I would write a letter to the Judge - they are people too, but sometimes you have to wonder if doing that will anger the judge and impose a harsher sentence, instead of if you just left well enough alone... Any opinions out there???

Originally posted by KevNDina
Just curious.. can you write to the Judge who has yet to sentence someone with all this information?

I am not a lawyer, but I believe there is usually a presentencing investigation. In most cases I think that is done by the probation department and that is your chance to write a letter to the court before sentencing.