Crime

Update: Justice Department Says It Didn't Intervene in Kwame Kilpatrick Prison Release Case

May 29, 2020, 8:22 AM by  Allan Lengel

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Kwame Kilpatrick years ago (Photo: Twitter)

Update, 8:18 a.m. Friday: The Department of Justice on Thursday night told Deadline Detroit that it had no input in the the Bureau of Prisons' decision on Tuesday to reject Kwame Kilpatrick's bid to go free on home detention. 

The U.S. Attorney's Office over the years has repeatedly said it feels Kilpatrick's 28-year sentence was fair. But some, including those who felt Kilpatrick committed crimes, believe the sentence was far too harsh.  

Original article Wednesday:

It remains a mystery how a review of Kwame Kilpatrick's case morphed into a mess. Detroit media, citing state lawmakers and the Ebony Foundation, reported last Friday that Kilpatrick was being released from federal prison for home confinement in June.

But on Tuesday night, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons issued a statement saying that it had reviewed and denied the ex-Detroit mayor's home detention. Kilpatrick has served seven of 28 years of his sentence for public corruption.

The bureau on Wednesday explained that it has been "urgently reviewing all inmates to determine which ones meet the criteria established by the attorney general" for home release due to the Covid outbreak. At Kilpatrick's prison in Oakdale, La., a Covid outbreak killed at least seven inmates.

"While all inmates are being reviewed for suitability, any inmate who believes he/she is eligible may request to be referred to home confinement and provide a release plan to their case manager," the Bureau of Prisons told Deadline Detroit. "The BOP may contact family members to gather needed information when making decisions concerning home confinement placement."

Is it possible a release plan was submitted by Kilpatrick or his family to a prison case manager? And could it have been misconstrued as being something more definitive than it was?

The Bureau of Prisons didn't immediately respond to follow up questions from Deadline Detroit about Kilpatrick's case. Gina Balaya, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined to comment.  

Kilpatrick's sister, Ayanna, didn't reply Wednesday to an email for comment about her brother's situation.  

Related:

► Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Not Getting Out of Jail After All

► GoFundMe Tried to Get Kilpatrick a Pair of Homecoming Buffs

 



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