Intake Form

The Seattle Clemency Project (SCP) matches people serving life or long sentences that no longer reflect the interests of justice with volunteer lawyers to seek early release through clemency, juvenile parole, pre-1984 parole, or prosecutor-initiated resentencing. In addition to screening all applicants for placement with a volunteer lawyer, SCP recruits, trains, and supports volunteer attorneys to represent clients through the entire process. We also provide holistic transition and reentry support to promote long-term success int he community upon release.

Due to SCP’s bandwidth and limited number of cases that can be heard through the clemency, juvenile parole board and pre-1984 processes, SCP can only place 25 people per year with a volunteer lawyer. We receive over 300 applicants per year, meaning that there are many more people requesting a volunteer lawyer than we can serve. Because of this, we have developed a process to identify the people who have the greatest need for early release advocacy in light of SCP’s mission. In broad terms those are people who 1) have served the greatest number of years in prison; 2) received the longest sentences; 3) have never had legal representation for early release or resentencing review; and 4) can demonstrate remorse and rehabilitation.

We review initial intake applicants diligently. After we decide on the status of the application, we send a letter to applicants regarding where they stand in the process. At the initial intake stage, there are three possible responses:

Not Qualified: Applicants who do not meet the basic requirements or fall outside the scope of our services will be told that they do not qualify for our services and their application will be considered closed.

Not Now: Applicants who are not yet ready to be considered for an attorney match, because some criteria still need to be met. We clarify what those criteria are and when we will begin re-considering their application.

Information Gathering: For applicants who progress to this phase, we do a public records request for their DOC records, including their infraction history and BOEs. In addition, we send a letter asking for a list of specific applicant-provided information we need to assess a case. After we receive all the necessary information, we take a variety of factors into account to decide on the status of an application and send a letter letting applicants know where they stand in the process.

Important: If an applicant cannot be placed with one of our volunteer lawyers, it does not mean that they are ineligible to apply for clemency, seek juvenile parole, or prosecutor-initiated resentencing. Petitioning for clemency, juvenile parole, or requesting discretionary resentencing review by a prosecutor can be pursued without an attorney.

Following the information gathering stage, SCP considers the factors below in assessing who has the greatest need for free legal advocacy for early release, given our mission. As stated above, in broad terms we serve people who: 1) have served the greatest number of years in prison; 2) received the longest sentences; 3) have never had legal representation for early release or resentencing review; and 4) can demonstrate remorse and rehabilitation.

There is no formula for how we apply the factors below because they are not ‘fixed’ criteria that qualify individuals for placement with a volunteer lawyer or not. Rather, SCP believes it is critically important to review each case holistically and we use the factors below as a guide to help us identify applicants who fit our service model:

  • Sentenced to 30 years or more

  • Impacted by foster care system

  • 25 or younger at time of offense

  • 60 or older and has served 15 years or more

  • Came to the U.S. as a refugee

  • Woman; impacted by dependency court hearings as a parent

  • LGBTQIA

  • Chronic or terminal illnesses

  • Physical disability

  • Sustained sobriety

  • Demonstrated 10 or more years of significant personal development

  • Demonstrated reduction in infractions over time

  • Can articulate the impact of the offense on the harmed person(s) and community

  • Three strikes sentence

    • Served 20 years or more

    • Pled to long sentence to avoid striking out

  • Aggravated murder and served 30 years or more

  • Juvenile points were used to increase sentence in adult court

  • Prior possession of controlled substances in criminal history

  • Impacted by physical, emotional, or sexual abuse

  • Impacted by domestic violence

  • Impacted by physical or emotional neglect

  • Impacted by household dysfunction

    • Mental illness

    • Divorce

    • Incarcerated relative(s)

    • Substance abuse