Alan Vinegrad

November 30, 2023 | New York Law Journal

A discussion of the effectiveness of alternatives to incarceration (ATI). Authors Alan Vinegard, former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District, and Zora Franicevic summarize data from the last 20 years on the effectiveness of ATI as a form of punishment in our country's criminal justice systems.

By Alan Vinegrad and Zora Franicevic

19 minute read

December 22, 2022 | New York Law Journal

The trend away from judicial discretion was short-lived.

By Zachary Segal and Alan Vinegrad

22 minute read

May 19, 2017 | New York Law Journal

Alan Vinegrad writes that given the Attorney General's public statements on crime and his experience as the U.S. Attorney in a staunchly conservative state, his charging and sentencing policy was not much of a surprise. But how his policy will affect the federal criminal justice landscape will depend in large measure on how it is actually implemented by federal prosecutors throughout the country and how other constituents in the federal criminal justice community respond.

By Alan Vinegrad

21 minute read

December 12, 2013 | New York Law Journal

In their Sentencing Guidelines column, Covington & Burling's Alan Vinegrad and Jason Levine write: Mandatory minimum sentences have, for years, been the subject of complaints from the bench, the defense bar and academics. But this year, these criticisms are taking hold—and all three branches of the federal government are getting into the fray.

By Alan Vinegrad and Jason Levine

14 minute read

June 30, 2011 | New York Law Journal

Alan Vinegrad and Jason Levine of Covington & Burling discuss the the proposed amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines and how they will affect a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, and a proposal which will make it marginally easier for minimal participants in crimes to receive a downward adjustment.

By Alan Vinegrad and Jason Levine

28 minute read

November 07, 2011 | New York Law Journal

In their Sentencing Guidelines column, Alan Vinegrad and Jason Levine of Covington & Burling write that proposals to address below-guideline sentences recommended by witnesses testifying before a recent House Subcommittee hearing have run the gamut from repeal of the Sentencing Reform Act to again making the guidelines presumptively applicable. But the commission's proposals did not address the real culprit - the guidelines themselves.

By Alan Vinegrad and Jason Levine

13 minute read

April 18, 2012 | New York Law Journal

In his Sentencing Guidelines column, Covington & Burling partner Alan Vinegrad reviews amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines announced last week that include increases in punishments for white-collar crimes in response to Dodd-Frank and a choice of method for calculating losses in securities fraud, but do not keep the initial proposals that provided for more lenient treatment of less culpable defendants convicted of large-dollar frauds.

By Alan Vinegrad

10 minute read

June 18, 2013 | New York Law Journal

In their Sentencing Guidelines column, Alan Vinegrad, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and a partner at Covington & Burling. and Jason Levine, an associate at the firm, write that since the 1980s, the United States has seen a drastic rise in its prison population, with many jurisdictions adopting mandatory minimum sentences, passing "three strikes" and "truth in sentencing" legislation, abolishing parole and promulgating sentencing guidelines.

By Alan Vinegrad and Jason Levine

14 minute read

August 06, 2008 | New York Law Journal

Alan Vinegrad, a partner at Covington & Burling, and Douglas Bloom, an associate at the firm, write that recent media coverage of the upcoming presidential contest has focused mainly on the candidates' differing views on energy policy and the war in Iraq. Lost in the haze of rising fuel costs and overseas fact-finding missions was Senator McCain's speech last month before a national conference of sheriffs, setting out his vision of the future of sentencing and the criminal justice system. Senator Obama, for his part, set forth his vision of the future of American criminal justice in a convocation speech to Howard University last year. A review of the candidates' positions on sentencing reveals two complex views of criminal justice that sometimes - but not always - diverge.

By Alan Vinegrad and Douglas Bloom

14 minute read

May 07, 2007 | New York Law Journal

Alan Vinegrad, a partner at Covington & Burling, and Douglas Bloom, an associate at the firm, write that with the political freedom to experiment that comes with lower crime rates, Governor Spitzer appears to be seizing the opportunity to explore ways to reduce crime and improve the state budget at the same time. By focusing on alternatives to incarceration, the newly-established New York State Commission on Sentencing Reform has an opportunity to achieve this goal.

By Alan Vinegrad and Douglas Bloom

11 minute read