UnCommon Law helps people eligible for parole return home through California’s discretionary parole process. Our organization believes that all people incarcerated for serious crimes deserve access to healing, justice and effective legal representation. Our team provides direct representation and resources on the parole process; runs “Home After Harm” a healing-centered and trauma-informed parole readiness program; and engages in policy and advocacy work to fight for changes to the parole consideration process.

Through their work with us, our clients and participants develop new self-narratives, are able to more effectively disrupt violence inside and outside prison, and become leaders who change negative societal narratives about those incarcerated for violent and serious crimes. Our work is driven by the voices and experiences of system-impacted communities – and our team of attorneys, advocates, social workers and volunteers has already helped over 300 individuals rejoin the community.

UnCommon Law’s Legal Services 

UnCommon Law’s legal services include preparing clients for and representing them in parole consideration hearings. Our hearing success rate (60%) far exceeds the norm, and we have had many clients granted parole at their first hearing.

UnCommon Law is not currently accepting new clients. However, we are:

• Accepting applicants to our pro bono waitlist for parole hearing representation

• Accepting applicants to our pro bono waitlist for individual parole hearing consultations (reviewing records from previous hearings and advising on what could be done differently to improve chances for success in future hearings) for people who have already had at least one initial parole hearing at all institutions in California

• Providing parole hearing readiness resources to individuals at all institutions in California

We are currently accepting entries to our waitlist for pro bono parole hearing representation if the following criteria is met:

• You are incarcerated at one of the following five institutions: San Quentin State Prison, Central California Women’s Facility, California Medical Facility, California State Prison Solano, and California Healthcare Facility – Stockton.

• We receive your request for pro bono representation at least 8 months in advance of your next parole hearing and that hearing is no more than five years away.

In addition to direct client representation, we produce and send resources to thousands of incarcerated people across the state each year, train law students and lawyers, and provide information on our services and the parole consideration process over the phone on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Home After Harm: UnCommon Law’s Pathways to Parole Success 
Home After Harm is an in-prison program that helps people prepare for California’s discretionary parole process. Informed by people who have been through the process themselves, this program supports participants in taking accountability for past actions, while healing from past trauma. Participants also receive limited scope legal support from a team of attorneys who provide individual case feedback and advice. Participants are not represented by UnCommon Law attorneys at their parole hearings. Home After Harm typically runs at one or two prisons, for an 8-9 month period. Home After Harm is currently running at California State Prison-Los Angeles County and Salinas Valley State Prison.

Policy and Advocacy Work
UnCommon Law’s policy team advocates for systemic changes that increase fairness, transparency, and oversight in California’s parole release process in order to create more accessible pathways home for those incarcerated for serious and violent crimes. Our ultimate goal is to replace the current, discriminatory parole release process with one that is fair and trauma-informed.  Our major areas of advocacy include engaging in the state legislative and budget process, monitoring the Board’s regulatory process, coalition-building with partner organizations, increasing access to parole outcome data in California, and educating the public to establish a political landscape in which parole reform is not only possible, but demanded.

UnCommon Law cannot represent:

• Individuals challenging their original convictions

• Individuals seeking assistance with issues related to resentencing

• Individuals litigating the conditions of their confinement in civil rights actions; or

• Out-of-state individuals unless they are also eligible for parole consideration in California

Additionally, we cannot:

• Refer you to a private attorney

• Provide legal advice to those that are not our clients

• Assist with medical or mental health issues

• Assist individuals seeking to challenge the outcome of a previous parole hearing

• Answer specific legal questions or send case law information to individuals who are not UnCommon Law clients
  

If you are seeking specific resources and information about topics other than the California parole process, we strongly recommend that you write to the Prison Law office at:

Prison Law Office
General Delivery
San Quentin, CA 94964