PRISONER'S RELEASE

Prison rules could grant health releases

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2007 (UPI) --

The U.S. Congress is considering new prison release rules that would allow federal judges to grant clemency in "extraordinary and compelling" circumstances.

The new guidelines, which would take effect Nov. 1, would give judges greater authority over releasing prisoners due to health concerns and other circumstances, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

A 1984 law enacted by Congress allowed for prisoners in federal custody to apply for release for health reasons. The law was widely interpreted by prison officials as designed for the release of terminally ill prisoners.

However, prisoner advocates have said the system is bogged down in bureaucracy and the few prisoners whose applications are accepted often die before they can be released.

Prison officials declined to comment on how the new rules would affect their release procedures.

The Bureau of Prisons "will carefully assess how it may or may not affect our decisions in these matters," spokeswoman Traci Billingsley told the Times.

TAKE ACITON Please Contact your Congressmen and Congresswomen to support more positive action concerning release of prisoners due to family crisis, due to illness, not just for terminally ill Inmates. Thank You for caring and helping from 2 Million Plus