Sentencing Advocacy Group · Resource Library
Federal Sentencing
Knowledge Center
Clear guidance for the decisions ahead. Explore Joseph De Gregorio’s resources on sentencing preparation, the presentence report, federal prison and planning for release.
Start with the essential guides
Build your sentencing record
How Sentencing Advocacy Group documents personal history, rehabilitation and supporting evidence.
Read the guide →Prepare for the PSR interview
A practical guide to your presentence interview, with 25 preparation questions.
Read the guide →Understand what judges consider
Explore the role of preparation, rehabilitation and restitution at sentencing.
Read the guide →Prepare for federal prison
Start with surrender, medical records, daily routines and family communication.
Read the guide →Understand First Step Act credits
Learn the distinctions between earned credits, good conduct time and release placement.
Read the guide →Explore RDAP
Review admission, treatment and the separate early-release eligibility process.
Read the guide →After sentencing: choose the right legal question.
Appeals, post-conviction challenges, sentence modifications and BOP release credits address different issues. Start with the relevant guide, then discuss legal eligibility and deadlines with counsel.
Can federal sentences be reduced?
Compare court-authorized reductions, compassionate release, First Step Act credits and RDAP. Includes Joseph’s American Bar Association JustPod interview.
Explore sentence reduction routes →Can you appeal a plea deal after sentencing?
Understand waivers, Rule 11, financial terms and the records appellate counsel needs.
Review plea and appeal questions →Federal habeas corpus and Section 2255
Distinguish a challenge to a conviction or sentence from a custody-calculation dispute.
Explore habeas and post-conviction relief →Appeal a federal prison sentence
Review deadlines, sentencing-error questions, the appellate record and possible outcomes.
Read the sentence appeal guide →Browse by topic
Explore the article library
Browse the resources below, or choose a topic above to narrow your reading.
Sentencing Preparation for Technology Founders and Executives
Organize business history, individual decisions and documented corrective work for counsel before the presentence interview and federal sentencing.
How SAG Builds a Documented Mitigation Record
Explore Sentencing Advocacy Group’s approach to personal history, rehabilitation evidence and a documented sentencing record, with context from Joseph De Gregorio’s American Bar Association feature.
The Sentencing Preparation Handoff: Who Does What on the Team?
Define who gathers records, who verifies facts, who provides clinical opinions and who makes legal decisions
Employment in a Release Plan: Confirmed Offers vs. Future Goals
Label an employment arrangement as confirmed, conditional or still being explored
Housing Support in a Federal Release Plan: Confirming the Details
Describe the proposed housing arrangement accurately, including who can confirm it, any conditions and what remains unresolved
A Release Plan Executive Summary: What Belongs on the First Pages
An executive summary should identify the proposed arrangements, the evidence supporting them and the unresolved needs
Prison Time, Home Confinement and Sentence Reductions: Read the Claim
A move from a prison facility to home confinement describes a change in where custody is served
How to Read a Federal Sentencing Success Story Accurately
Identify the starting comparison, the sentence actually imposed and the source of the facts
Character Letters for Federal Sentencing: Specific Observations Matter
Ask writers for truthful firsthand observations, a clear description of their relationship and specific examples they can support
How to Build an Exhibit Index for a Sentencing Mitigation Packet
An exhibit index should identify each document, its date, its source and the specific statement it supports
A Guidelines Dispute Is Different From a Variance Request
A guidelines dispute challenges the calculation or its inputs
Restitution Payment Records: Building a Clear Ledger for Counsel
Keep a factual ledger of documented payments, with dates, amounts, recipients and confirmation records
Plea Agreement Financial Terms: A Question Sheet for Counsel
Before relying on a financial term, ask counsel what it addresses, what remains disputed and whether it binds anyone beyond the parties
Guidelines Loss and Restitution: Questions to Keep Separate
Ask counsel to analyze the sentencing loss figure and proposed restitution separately
What to Organize Before a Blockchain Forensics Review
Provide counsel and the qualified expert with a well-labeled inventory of available transaction, account and communication records
Crypto Sentencing Preparation: Reconstructing Your Role Timeline
A role timeline organizes what a defendant did, knew and could document at different points in a crypto matter
Preparing a Clinical Continuity Summary for a Release Plan
A clinical continuity summary identifies current providers, documented needs and proposed follow-up arrangements
When Sentencing Preparation Must Adapt to Mental Health Needs
A reflection-heavy preparation method is not suitable for every person
Documenting Treatment Progress Without Overstating the Evidence
Use the treating professional’s supported observations and distinguish attendance from clinical improvement
Organizing Records for a Forensic Evaluation Before Sentencing
Ask counsel and the evaluator which records they need, then provide accurate originals with a clear chronology