"In these [VIP] cases, the defense attorney will act almost like an agent in Hollywood, negotiating the perp's rights, wheeling and dealing to get her into the best spot," Mr. Stanton said. "He can say, 'This prison has tennis, this one has nicer rooms.'"
Defense lawyers have some influence over where their clients serve prison time, legal experts said. Typically, they present the judge with an elaborate profile of the criminal to be sentenced, including details like the person's record of community service, illnesses or special needs that might bear on where the time will be served. And in the last decade, dozens of specialists have begun marketing their services as experts in sentence mitigation.
These are the lawyers, criminologists or former corrections officials known as "postconviction specialists," who — for fees that can reach into tens of thousands of dollars — navigate and cajole the prison and judicial systems, bargaining for the chance at a light, sweet sentence. They are a grim reality in the lives of the criminally convicted elite: counselors as valued in their way as the SAT prep teachers, personal shoppers and chefs who also serve the well-to-do.
[Full text, http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/09/fashion/09PRIS.html?searchpv=past7days]
Carl
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