Incorporating Compassionate Release Advocacy in the Law School Curriculum

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Session Type: Concurrent Sessions

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Compassionate release is a process for seeking post-conviction relief for incarcerated individuals, some of whom are in federal prisons which have been a hotbed of widespread COVID19. For federal prisoners, the First Step Act (FSA) expanded compassionate release criteria and allowed easier access to courts, and the new DC Compassionate Release Act is even broader than the FSA. But the ability to meet the current legal need has fallen short. The sad history of mass incarceration in the United States, coupled with its racial disparities, makes it important that law schools join the bar in meeting the growing and crucial need for legal assistance. Law schools offer a venue for helping to meet this demand, while offering law students experience in social justice advocacy. This “hot topics” program will discuss the different models law schools are using to handle compassionate release cases, and will explore the challenges and rewards that come with this representation. Panel members will share lessons learned from doing compassionate release work, and will discuss how to extend these lessons into other realms of post-conviction work (including clemency applications before the president) and fostering collaboration and social justice advocacy in the community.