A Second Chance: A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves It

by Frederic Block

Overview

A sitting federal judge’s lively and provocative recounting of six cases, to make the argument for revisiting overly punitive sentences

Murderous mafia capos. The police officer who brutalized Abner Louima. A purveyor of child pornography. These are some of the defendants to have come before U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block to ask for reductions in their prison sentences. All of them have been found guilty and have already served decades in prison, but under the 2018 First Step Act they are entitled to petition for reconsideration and release.

In a rare glimpse behind the bench, Judge Block recounts the cases of six incarcerated people who have done heinous things but have nevertheless petitioned him for their release. He then explains the criteria the First Step Act has spelled out for his consideration. And, in a novel twist, he asks the reader, “What would you do?”

Judge Block puts us out of our suspense in a third section of the book where he tells us what he did do in each case and why, as he weighs each compassionate release request, evaluating issues ranging from “the trial tax,” to sentencing disparities, to judicial incompetence. Finally, Judge Block makes the compelling case that the First Step Act should be extended to state court judges, since state prisons house about 90 percent of those incarcerated. In a book that could be the basis for a new season of Law & Order, Judge Block challenges our ideas about punishment and justice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620979006
Publisher:	New Press, The
Publication date:	09/17/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	486 KB

About the Author

Frederic Block is a U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of New York. He has been at the forefront of releasing prisoners and has received both praise and grief in the media. Judge Block is the author of several books, including his memoir Disrobed and the reality-fiction novel Race to Judgment, the basis for an incipient TV series, as well as A Second Chance: A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves It (The New Press). He lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for A Second Chance:

"A timely book."
—The New York Times

"Of particular interest to prison-reform activists and civil libertarians. . . . Block urges individual states to establish sentence-review programs of their own. Moreover, he concludes, the entire system must be overhauled so that a sentence does not dog a person for the rest of his or her life."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Judge Frederic Block’s A Second Chance tells one of the most neglected stories in our criminal justice system—what happens to criminal defendants after they are sentenced to prison. The judge uses his unique perspective to tell several real stories from his own courtroom, all page-turners, about how he tried to strike the right balance. These are tough calls—and it’s a tough, smart book."
—Jeffrey Toobin, author of Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right Wing Extremism

"Judge Frederic Block’s extraordinary book gives readers the unique opportunity to view post–First Step Act criminal sentencing through the eyes of the judges entrusted with these life-altering decisions. I appreciate his important work, both in and out of the courtroom, and look forward to engaging with his insightful observations and thoughtful ideas as America continues to grapple with what we want from our criminal justice system."
—Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic leader

"A Second Chance is a first. Fred Block, a sitting U.S. federal judge, invites the reader to share the heavy burden of deciding who merits a reduction in sentence. And he shows how legislation supported by both the right and the left can alleviate the injustices of overly harsh federal sentencing practices. More importantly, Judge Block exposes stark injustice on the state level and offers a timely, sensible prescription for broad national reform."
—Larry Thompson, former U.S. deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush

"In A Second Chance, Judge Block valiantly speaks out about injustice in the legal system and recommends commonsense, bipartisan reforms to sentencing. As someone who has spent years fighting for the rights of American workers to not be silenced—and succeeded in helping pass bipartisan laws—I join Judge Block’s call for making our legal system more just and more humane."
—Gretchen Carlson, journalist, bestselling author, female empowerment advocate, and cofounder of Lift Our Voices

"In 2018, a nationwide pan-ideological coalition did the impossible: reform federal criminal justice through the First Step Act. Judge Fred Block has written a serious and fascinating book that invites the reader to see through a judge’s eyes how this law is applied in some very interesting cases. As the name of the legislation suggests, this was just a first step. Judge Block thus lays out his thoughts on what ‘second steps’ might be taken at the state level. There is, he argues persuasively, much yet to do."
—Grover Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform

"A Second Chance is a testament to the power of the idea that, as Bryan Stevenson says, we are all more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. Judge Block makes a passionate case for the First Step Act and other commonsense reforms from the invaluable perspective of someone responsible for impartially administering justice on our behalf. People possess the capacity to change—including those who have been imprisoned, castigated, and condemned—and Judge Block reminds us of what’s possible when they do."
—Cory Booker, United States Senator

"Most people know Judge Block from the courtroom. But to me he is my favorite storyteller. But what is truly unique about his new book, A Second Chance, is how he has cleverly and dramatically made the reader an integral part of this eye-opening exposé of our criminal justice system. And what an incredulous true story he has told about Stephen May!"
—Ryan Holiday, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Right Thing, Right Now

From the Publisher

2024-07-17
A fair-minded federal judge revisits six convictions to see whether he and the system got it right.

Block, on the bench for decades, has seen two large movements come and go: in the first, in the 1980s, Congress mandated no-discretion guidelines for sentencing for federal crimes; in the second, after the Supreme Court held in 2005 that those sentencing guidelines were no longer mandatory, federal judges were permitted “to reconsider the appropriateness of a previously imposed sentence and to reduce that sentence, even if the original sentence was lawful.” In some instances, the reduction was permitted because the original crime had been reclassified to be less harshly punished; in others, it was up to Block and his colleagues on the bench to weigh all the facts in the matter and reevaluate. The cases considered and reconsidered here involve murder, drug trafficking, and child pornography; the most notorious, though, is that of Justin Volpe, a New York police officer sentenced to 360 months (it could have been life) for torturing Abner Louima in an incident of official abuse Block sees as a clear precursor to the murder of George Floyd more than 20 years later. Block’s reconsiderations are weighty, revealing a complex and justice-oriented legal mind at work, and some of his determinations will come as a surprise, Volpe’s case in particular. Because only 10% of prison inmates are in for federal crimes, Block urges individual states to establish sentence-review programs of their own. Moreover, he concludes, the entire system must be overhauled so that a sentence does not dog a person for the rest of his or her life. “It is not in anyone’s best interests,” he writes, sagely, “to consign ex-offenders to a permanent second-class status. Doing so will only lead to wasted lives, ruined families and more crime.”

Of particular interest to prison-reform activists and civil libertarians.

Kirkus Reviews