Ruling could return dozen freed people to prison

Patrick Dewayne Smith, who was released in 2024 after serving 13 years for drug-related offenses, could be returned to prison for life after the Supreme Court ruled that prisoners cannot use sentencing disparities created by changes Congress did not make retroactive to qualify for compassionate release. The ruling has prompted federal prosecutors to challenge the legal basis for Smith’s release, which a judge granted under policies that followed the 2018 First Step Act and a 2023 Sentencing Commission policy. The First Step Act reduced some mandatory minimum sentences and expanded prisoners’ ability to seek compassionate release directly from judges. Sentencing reform group FAMM says roughly a dozen people could face renewed incarceration because of the decision and warns they may need clemency to retain their freedom.