Compassionate Release In The Era of COVID-19The First Step Act of 2018 authorized, for the first time, a federal inmate, rather than solely the Federal Bureau of Prisons, to file a motion seeking compassionate release. Not surprisingly, a significant increase in motions were filed the following year in 2019, the majority of which were filed by inmates, resulting in a five-fold increase in the number of motions granted. Of course, COVID-19 struck the following year, resulting in an even greater increase in motions filed by federal inmates in 2020. This article looks at the requirements for compassionate release in federal cases and examines data from the year 2020.