Second Chances Resource Library

With “Grading the States: the State Compassionate Release Report Card Project,” FAMM issues a report card for every state compassionate release program in the nation. FAMM graded the programs on elements we consider essential to ensuring that the programs benefit those who need them: medically vulnerable, aging, and terminally ill incarcerated people whose continued imprisonment no longer serves the interests of justice.

Knowing that a program fails to live up to its promise is the first step to improvement, but knowing how and why it fails is the essential next step. Our report cards aim to provide that information. We did not grade on a curve. Still, we were surprised to find that the majority of states flunk compassionate release. We offer the report cards not to shame failing states but to help concerned stakeholders understand the practical barriers to compassionate release. We hope these report cards spur people to ask and answer the questions that will trigger reform.