WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, December 26, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) sent a letter to the Trump Administration renewing her request for an immediate reduction in sentence for former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford due to his deteriorating health. In spite of difficulty due to the government shutdown and the holiday season, Rep. Sewell has been in communication with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Trump Administration since Sunday, December 23, urging officials to permit Mayor Langford’s release after Rep. Sewell was informed by Mayor Langford’s attorneys of his most recent hospitalization. According to his attorneys, the former Mayor is in critical condition, and his family has been called to the federal prison in Kentucky where he is serving 15 years.

“During this season of hope, I am calling on the Trump Administration to act with compassion and immediately reduce Mayor Langford’s sentence due to his deteriorating health,” said Rep. Terri Sewell. “Justice should be fair but also merciful. Mayor Larry Langford has served over eight years in federal prison and should spend his final days surrounded by family in Birmingham, Alabama.”

Rep. Sewell previously advocated for the compassionate release of Mayor Langford in 2015 and 2016 during the Obama Administration. Mayor Langford has suffered from worsening, chronic health conditions for years and meets all of the legal criteria for a reduction in sentence as an elderly inmate with medical conditions.

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Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) is serving her fourth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional district. She sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was recently appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Sewell is a Chief Deputy Whip and serves on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee of the Democratic Caucus. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and serves as Vice Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, and Vice Chair of Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition.