Comments on: Skilling And Lay Off To The Pokey http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/05/skilling_and_la.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:19:19 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 hourly 1 By: Paul Stancil http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2006/05/skilling_and_la.html/comment-page-1#comment-58735 Paul Stancil Thu, 25 May 2006 22:07:56 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2006/05/skilling-and-lay-off-to-the-pokey.html#comment-58735 The "time to get their lives together," while obviously a courtesy not afforded to every criminal defendant on equal terms, is something of a mixed blessing. I have had white collar clients who soon came to regret their decision to delay execution of sentence as long as possible. I have known others who asked for and were ultimately happy with virtually immediate remand into BOP custody. It's a little different with trials as opposed to pleas, in that trial defendants inevitably hold out some hope of acquittal and may not "get their affairs in order" as diligently, but it's not always pretty around defendants marking time between conviction and reporting. It's also no picnic talking to a client on a prison phone during the several months when he would have been out already had he not been allowed to delay his reporting date. The “time to get their lives together,” while obviously a courtesy not afforded to every criminal defendant on equal terms, is something of a mixed blessing. I have had white collar clients who soon came to regret their decision to delay execution of sentence as long as possible. I have known others who asked for and were ultimately happy with virtually immediate remand into BOP custody.

It’s a little different with trials as opposed to pleas, in that trial defendants inevitably hold out some hope of acquittal and may not “get their affairs in order” as diligently, but it’s not always pretty around defendants marking time between conviction and reporting. It’s also no picnic talking to a client on a prison phone during the several months when he would have been out already had he not been allowed to delay his reporting date.

]]>