Supreme Court Ruling Could Send Freed Tennessee Man Back to Prison
Prosecutors say the release no longer fits after the court said sentencing gaps are not grounds for compassionate release, affecting about a dozen inmates nationwide.
- A Supreme Court ruling in May threatens to send Patrick Dewayne Smith, a 47-year-old Tennessee man released in 2024, back to prison after serving 13 years of a life sentence.
- Smith benefited from rules adopted after Congress passed the First Step Act during President Donald Trump's first term, which reduced mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug crimes.
- The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision in May found sentencing disparities are not "extraordinary and compelling" reasons for early release, leaving Smith among about a dozen nationwide facing potential reincarceration.
- Shanna Rifkin, general counsel for FAMM, said those freed are "doing everything that they should be doing," yet face legal limbo without White House intervention.
- His father, James Smith, called the prospect of reincarceration "a bitter pill" for a nonviolent case, while the administration is actively reviewing developments, though clemency remains the only viable path.
74 Articles
74 Articles
Patrick Smith Faces Return to Prison After SCOTUS Ruling
Prosecutors are moving to send Patrick Dewayne Smith back to prison after the Supreme Court ruled old sentencing gaps cannot justify compassionate release. Federal prosecutors filed court documents challenging Smith’s 2024 release. They argued he would still face a 25-year mandatory minimum even under current laws, a prison floor set by Congress that a judge […]
Supreme Court ruling could send man back to prison two years after being freed
After two years of rebuilding his life, Patrick Dewayne Smith may go back to prison. He was in jail for 13 years due to a nonviolent drug conviction and was released in 2024 thanks to the First Step Act, a criminal justice law. But a recent Supreme Court decision puts the 47-year-old’s second chance at...
Associated Press News
A freed man faces life back in prison after a Supreme Court ruling on the First Step Act
Patrick Dewayne Smith is rebuilding his life after serving 13 years in prison on drug charges. But after a Supreme Court ruling in May he could be sent back for life.
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