On October 21, 2020, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon delivered the keynote address for the third day of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (“NACDL”) and the American Criminal Law Review’s (“ACLR”) 2020 Presidential Summit and Symposium, Prison Brake: Rethinking the Sentencing Status Quo. Her Remarks—which focused on offender resentencing since the pas-sage of the First Step Act and in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic— have been reproduced here in their entirety. They have been lightly edited to include some explanatory footnotes and citations to specific cases and statutes mentioned. NACDL and ACLR thank Chief Judge McMahon for her willingness to participate in the program, and for her insightful comments. 

Read Chief Judge McMahon’s Remarks Here