Not that people in halfway houses aren’t trustworthy… but leaving large sums of money around there probably isn’t a good idea.
Both prisoners eased into halfway houses a full six months before their release dates, taking advantage of a recent change in federal law that allows inmates to do lengthier stretches in community facilities. Weiss resides in Miami, while Lerach is in Southern California.
A BOP spokeswoman would not say why Lerach and Weiss got into halfway houses when they did. Lerach's lawyer, Michael Lipman of Coughlan, Semmer & Lipman in San Diego, did not return a phone call.
Weiss didn't lobby for the placement, said his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman of New York's Brafman & Associates.
"Mel Weiss received the amount of halfway house residency that the Bureau of Prisons approved," Brafman said. "We did nothing to try to increase it, or had any involvement in the process. This happened in prison."
Halfway houses are designed to reintegrate people into the community, says Alan Ellis, a Mill Valley, Calif., attorney who helps convicted defendants navigate the prison system.
"If you need a place to live, they will help you find a place to live. If you need a job, they will help you find a job. If need vocational training, they will help you with that," Ellis said.
Source: Law.com - Lerach and Weiss: Doing Things Halfway
I’m presuming these guys still have “a place to live” and neither of them “need a job” or “vocational training.” So, I’m not entirely sure there’s much benefit to them going to a halfway house.