The title of this post is the headline of this new Washington Post article. I recommend the full piece, and here are excerpts:
Standing in front of a crowd outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 6 defendant Brian Mock began telling his story, his version of the attack on the Capitol that threatened the United States government.
Mock, who was sentenced to 33 months in prison for crimes related to Jan. 6, pushed back against the government’s claims that he assaulted police officers. He detailed his painful experiences while incarcerated, including what he described as an excessive use of solitary confinement. He decried the American justice system for inhumane prison conditions and called on President Donald Trump to help people incarcerated in federal prison who could be eligible for early release.
“This is the evolution of Jan. 6 activism post-pardon,” Mock, 46, of Marshall, Minnesota, said to cheers. “Civil rights and humanitarian issues are what we’re here about. … So I’m here to stand up for prisoners.”
Mock is part of a wave of Jan. 6 defendants who, spurred by their time incarcerated, are now embracing prison reform as their cause. In Washington state, the wife of a Jan. 6 defendant started a nonprofit to help children with incarcerated parents. Another J6er is part of the team behind Stop Hate, an organization that supports Jan. 6 defendants and says that it wants Congress to address neglected medical needs while incarcerated, due process violations and changes to solitary confinement….
At the news conference, Mock asked Trump to commute the sentences of all federal prisoners who have served at least 50 percent of their sentence and are eligible for early release under the First Step Act, a law that shortens sentences for some offenders and expands job training and other programs. The bipartisan measure, which Trump signed into law in 2018, was celebrated as the most far-reaching overhaul of the criminal justice system in a generation.
Mock, the co-founder of a civil liberties division of the On Your Six Foundation, an organization that supports veterans, also announced his intent to file a class-action lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice, claiming they are violating the requirements of the First Step Act. In December, the American Civil Liberties Union also sued the BOP, alleging that its failure to implement the law violated the rights of thousands of people who should be released from custody but were being illegally held.