The First Step Act in 2018 included provisions for non-violent federal inmates to petition for early release or reductions in their sentences. How to determine whether to grant or deny those requests is what U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block explores in his new book, A Second Chance, which features his experiences with six prisoners who came to him asking for their release. Judge Frederic Block talks to Ryan on today’s episode about how he morally views his role as a judge, why the First Step Act is crucial with the federal inmate population, and his life as a working judge at 90 years old.

Judge Frederic Block is a U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of New York. He has been at the forefront of the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice bill aimed at reforming federal prisons and decreasing the federal inmate population. Judge Block is the author of several books, including his memoir Disrobed, the reality-fiction novel Race to Judgment, and his most recent book A Second Chance: A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves It.

📚 Pick up a signed copy of A Second Chance: A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves It by Judge Frederic Block at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/

📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Judge Frederic Block on the Moral Duties and Real-Life Stories of Prison Reform

The Daily Stoic