jail info

Yes, she can study law. Cane she be admitted to the bar? No. She can study the law all she wants, but she'll never be a lawyer. she could get released for good conduct within a matter of months--maybe eight--but not even two years would be enough for her to study the law. She'd be on her own, using books, no teachers--maybe some online access.

And two years for assisting terrorism? in this day and age? that doesn't sound reasonable.

Three quick adds to that:

1) The reason she wouldn't be able to join the bar was due to the felony she picked up. Most state bars don't allow felons to join them.

2) She could take advantage of correspondence courses, so there is the possibility of learning law that way. However, even if she were a fast study, she wouldn't learn enough by the time she was released to really do her any good.

3) Ironically, the lessons would go towards her good behavior. However, she would need to have a pretty good reason to go for an appeal (if that was what she was going for); she would need to demonstrate either collusion between those in the court or that she was forced into the plea. Otherwise, her efforts would be for naught.

FR

Two years for assisting terrorists? Hell yeah, I'd tell her to plead guilty if I were her lawyer. And she wouldn't go to "jail." She would go to "prison," a federal prison. There is a difference. I question whether that is a legal sentence anyway. you would need to find the specific offense she is being convicted of in USC Title 18 and see what the sentencing guidelines are to know what the range of possible punishements are.


Most states will not allow a convicted felon admission to the bar. After a certain amount of time (5-10 years in most cases) she could apply, but admission is doubtful. Especially if convicted of terrorist activity.

But she could study law on her own certainly. All prisons are equipped with a law library.

I can't do it until I go in to work on Monday, but I can get you a list of NCIC offenses that are terror related.

padnar said:

Hi ,
first of all i would like to thank yu all for the info i often
get here .
My character is arrested on a charge for assisting terrorism. She pleads guilty on her lawyer's advice she gets two years . As SoccerMom says, this is a really good deal. If this was US federal, it would be 24 months, not 2 years. While she is in prison she saves the life of the guard . I need the info on the following aspects
can she study law, while she is in prison? She cannot study for a law school degree. She might be able to study to be a paralegal. She would have access to a law library. The amount of time she could spend in the law library would be somewhat limited. Some inmates become very good at the law. if so how can she apply ? Education is done through the prison's education department. Approved programs are done through them. If what she wants for an education isn't on the approved list, then she's out of luck. what is the procedure pl write ?
Can she be released for her good conduct ? Federal sentencing is complicated, to say the least. Short answer is no. She would have to go back in front of the sentencing judge or the President would have to grant parole.
Thanks all
padma

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padnar said:

Thanks all for the info you shared with me . I am as usual quite happy with the response I got .
Rest asured She is wrongly confined as a terrorist and this matter she will fight in the court either by herself or by her lawyer . Once she has pled guilty to the crime, the only issue she could attack on appeal would be whether she entered into the plea knowingly. She would not be allowed to attack whether she had committed the crime or not. This might be somewhat well known at the moment considering the Senator from Idaho and his foot tapping incident.
padma

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For your reading pleasure:

• The Complete Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual (2006)
• The Complete Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual (2005)
• Sentencing Guidelines Calculator

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

In a lot of ways, she may actually be better off pleading non-guilty and letting it go to court. It would be easier to get an appeal based on new evidence if she had fought it than if she basically confessed to the crime (which is part of pleading guilty). Otherwise, the evidence is going to need to be extremely compelling...

FR

I snipped this little bit from an online article about a USF professor who got pretty much the exact same charge your character got. Although, the maximum penalty isn't what he'll get I don't think--otherwise I don't think he'd give the state (er, is it feds in this case?) a guilty plea.

"the maximum penalty for the charge to which Mohamed will plead guilty is 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine." -Tampa Bay Online