Plaxico Burress Denied Work Release

Former New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress was denied a work release request by the New York Department of Correctional Services this week, the second time such a petition by Burress has been turned down.

Burress, who pleaded guilty to weapons charges in August 2009 and was sentenced to two years in prison, was notified of the denied work-release decision on Monday, Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Linda M. Foglia said in a statement. The reason given by the panel was the simple fact that Burress' crime -- which involved Burress shooting himself in the leg at a nightclub in November 2009 -- involved a gun.

"The serious and negative impact illegal guns have on the community coupled with the dangerous nature of the weapon discharging in a public place renders him unsuitable for work release participation," the chairperson of the review board wrote, in a document obtained by FanHouse.

View PDF: Burress' Denied Work Release Request
View PDF: Burress' Inmate Misbehavior Report

Burress can appeal the decision. A message left with his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, was not immediately returned on Tuesday.

Work release approvals are rare in New York. Of the 26,845 applications received last year, only 416 were approved. Foglia said the program allows prisoners to leave prison for a period of several days, effectively putting them on furlough status.

The denial means Burress will likely have to serve out at least 6/7th of his term, which would make him eligible for release on June 6, 2011. If he serves the maximum, Burress would be released on Sept. 20, 2011.

According to other documents obtained by FanHouse, Burress was written up last November in an inmate misbehavior report. A guard wrote that Burress lied to gain access to a pay phone.