WASHINGTON — Charles “Duke” Tanner went to the Capitol last week with a story that does not end at the prison gate.
In his own words, he started boxing at six. The ring taught him discipline, focus, and how to keep moving after a knockdown. At 18 he turned pro because he wanted to build a better life for his family. Then he got involved in a nonviolent drug conspiracy and was sentenced to double life in federal prison. His son was two years old when he was taken away.
He spent nearly two decades behind bars before receiving clemency from President Trump and coming home in 2020. The sentence, he said, did not end there. Ten years of federal supervision were still in front of him.
“After losing so many years with my family, I wanted to spend my second chance rebuilding my life, giving back to my community, and being there for the people I love,” Tanner said. “That’s why I was at the Capitol last week advocating for the Safer Supervision Act.”
What Coming Home Still Cost
Release gave Tanner a door. Supervision kept a hand on it.
He said he had to ask permission to travel, including a visit to his son at college just 90 minutes away. The boy who was two when Tanner went in was now in school. The trip was ordinary. The permission was not. He and his brothers also had to cancel plans to spread their parents’ ashes because the conditions of their supervision prevented them from being together without approval.
Those are not abstract rules to him. They are a missed visit and a funeral rite that did not happen. Tanner’s case for Congress is built on that difference. Federal supervision, he said, should help people move forward, not put unnecessary roadblocks in their way.
He is not asking the country to forget the case. He is asking it to stop treating compliance as a permanent barrier for people who have already come home and are trying to be fathers, brothers, and neighbors again.
What He Is Asking Congress to Pass
The Safer Supervision Act of 2025 is bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate as S. 3077 and in the House as H.R. 5883. It would amend federal law on supervised release after imprisonment. Sponsors include Senators Mike Lee and Chris Coons and Representative Laurel Lee. As of late 2025, more than 110,000 people were on federal supervised release.
Advocates for the bill, including the Safer Supervision Coalition, say it would do four things Tanner’s story puts in human terms:
- Require an individualized assessment before supervision is imposed, instead of a one-size term for nearly everyone leaving federal prison
- Create a pathway to early termination for people who complete a set portion of the term, comply with conditions, and pose no public safety risk, while leaving the final call with a judge
- Give courts more discretion on certain minor technical violations, including treatment instead of automatic reincarceration where that better serves safety
- Remove restrictions that block work, family travel, and the ordinary stability people need to stay on the right path
Tanner’s summary is shorter. The bill would reward progress, support successful reentry, and give people who are doing well a real opportunity to move forward.
“Federal supervision should help people move forward, not put unnecessary roadblocks in their way,” he said.
The Petition
Tanner is asking the public to sign the petition telling Congress to pass the Safer Supervision Act. The petition is hosted at safersupervision.com/petition. His account of the years inside, the 2020 clemency, and the supervision that followed was also published by REFORM Alliance.
The measure he is willing to be judged by is narrow. Not whether his story travels. Whether a father can see his son at college without begging for a 90-minute trip. Whether brothers can bury their parents together. Whether supervision still means support, or only another sentence with a different name.
About Charles “Duke” Tanner
Charles “Duke” Tanner (@dukegotlife) is a former professional boxer who began in the ring at six, turned pro at 18, and received clemency in 2020 after a double life sentence on a nonviolent drug conspiracy. He is an advocate for second chances, reentry, fatherhood, and the Safer Supervision Act, and serves as Vice President of Community Affairs & Outreach and National Ambassador for Engineered Tax Services.
Take Action
Sign the petition: safersupervision.com/petition
Safer Supervision Act of 2025 — S. 3077 / H.R. 5883
Credits: The KR Media Group
Media Contact
Company: Engineered Tax Services
Contact Person: Charles “Duke” Tanner |
(E) mail: dtanner@engineeredtaxservices.com
Website: https://engineeredtaxservices.com
City: West Palm Beach
State: Florida
Country: USA
