How do I get a public defender to represent a family member who is incarcerated in bringing a motion for release under the Smarter Sentencing Act?
The Smarter Sentencing Act is a piece of proposed federal legislation that has not yet been signed into law. There is a lot of chatter floating around (especially in jails) that you can bring a motion under this Act to get a person out of jail. That rumor is not true. However, assuming your family member was convicted in federal court, she can contact the federal public defender’s office for more information. Their website is www.fdewi.org. This is probably the office that represented your family member before conviction.
