you recover ...? How do you put back your life together? Release and deportation (2009) On October 26, 2009, Shyne was released and deported to his place of birth, Belize. Some of the hip hop community rallied to celebrate his release, and the events were followed by mainstream media. The rapper had been transferred to Rikers Island where he was held for a parole hearing, and then to the Woodbourne Correctional Facility, where he spent the last months of his incarceration. A Manhattan judge signed an order that would schedule Shyne for release on October 6, 2009. He had served more than 9 years of a 10-year sentence, on which no terms for post-release supervision had originally been placed. At the request of the New York State Department of Correctional Services, a mandatory probation period of at least two and half years was added to Shyne's sentence. Shyne and his attorney, Oscar Michelen, had hoped to avoid probation. On October 6, 2009, Shyne was released from New York State custody; however, he was immediately taken into Federal custody. He was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a "detention facility in Western New York State". One source indicated that the facility in question was the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia. According to his attorney, Federal officials were reviewing the rapper's immigration status and making a determination on whether or not he would be deported to his native Belize. Shyne had a permanent resident "green card", and his mother was a U.S. citizen, but he himself had never become a naturalized citizen. There was speculation that Shyne might be released on bail in the U.S. while his case was being resolved. Shyne's uncle, Michael Finnegan, said that the family had prepared for the rapper's potential return to Belize. He also revealed that Shyne and his representatives had been expecting to be intercepted by ICE officials upon his release, and had directed members of his legal team to prepare the necessary documents in an effort to address the situation. Dean Barrow, Belize's Prime Minister and Shyne's father, sent a petition to New York Governor David Paterson asking Patterson to pardon his son. In 2008 Governor Paterson had pardoned rapper Slick Rick who, in a similar situation, also faced deportation. Barrow said he had been assured that the Governor received his letter and that his request was under consideration, but that