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.
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
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