Free Course: Navigating the System
The Hinda Institute’s “Navigating the System” course empowers participants with practical knowledge and strategies for effective advocacy within the court system and behind prison walls.
Shanna Rifkin, who is General Counsel of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) will kick off the first of three weekly Zoom sessions, which begin on June 3, 2026 at 8PM EST. Shanna directs the Federal Compassionate Release Clearinghouse, oversees FAMM’s Supreme Court practice, and advocates for reform of federal sentencing and corrections law and policy before the United States Sentencing Commission, Congress, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Session 2 will cover advocacy in the federal system, both in and out of prison. And Session 3 is a dialogue about rebuilding your life post incarceration. Whether you are personally impacted or supporting someone who is, education and guidance can make a real difference. Other panelists include Paul Rothschild, a restorative justice practitioner with lived experience navigating the criminal legal system. Attorney David Grosky, who devotes his time and energy assisting prison inmates with their legal and administrative research, writing and filing needs. Nick Seidel, a paralegal contractor for the Enforcement Division of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). And Scott Pollack, who is currently serving a three-year-to-life parole term, yet has reinvented himself as a full-time courtwatcher with the Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice (ILARJ) whose goal is to help others walking a similar path as him, and to remake our justice system into one of care and accountability that truly serves the needs of all communities.
It will be an insightful course with panelists representing justice reform attorneys, justice impacted individuals and even an individual on the prosecution end. The course is free and FAC members are encouraged to join.
Click here for enrollment: https://forms.gle/NY32HQ5JRwWkHtFD7
The zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87168249935
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I’m glad to see there’s at least some discussion happening around this. But the reality is, once you’re actually charged — even with a “paper felony” like mine last year — it often feels like it’s just you and the best attorney you can afford. Some people end up with a public defender, and in my experience, mine truly did not care about sex offender cases.
It’s an incredibly lonely road once you’re charged with a crime where the social punishment can feel harsher than what murderers or rapists receive. In Florida jails, there’s little to no help or resources. I was in for three days one and several other days in another, and they all felt like “pay-to-play” jails. If nobody on the outside puts money on your books, you’re basically at the mercy of other inmates. Ironically, in my case, the inmates were often more helpful, generous, and protective than the guards.
I understand there have been prosecutions involving some individuals here, but for me, listening to attorneys, judges, and others who don’t live with a felony PFR status makes it clear they often don’t truly understand what it’s like.
I’m ex-Army, so I relied on that background and experience. Within an hour of being placed in a pod, I had managed to build a group of four guys around me. That kind of support is vital — not because of gang issues, but because if other inmates find out you’re a PFR, they immediately assume you’re a pedophile, and that can put your safety at risk. Getting to know people quickly and letting them know who you are is key to surviving inside.
We really need seminars and open discussions about this side of the system, especially now that “paper felonies” tied to PFR status are becoming more common. Maybe others here who have served time could share their experiences too.
Navigating the legal system is mostly a waiting game, and that uncertainty is one of the hardest parts. You sit through continuances while your attorney tries to position the case and hopefully negotiate some kind of deal.
Last year, my attorney warned me that even though I probably could have won at trial — especially because I have documented TBI-related cognitive and memory issues recognized by both federal and state agencies — winning could still come at a huge cost. He told me that if we fought and won, I could still end up setting legal precedent and potentially face up to five years in prison afterward anyway. That kind of legal reality is hard to comprehend.
What shocked me most was hearing a seasoned sex offender defense attorney say that registrants are essentially set up to fail. He explained that the statutes are so convoluted that he regularly has to ask prosecutors and judges to clarify how they interpret the laws before even going into court. Everyone wants to know how the wording will be argued or enforced ahead of time. He said he never has to do that in murder cases or other criminal cases — only in these types of cases.