PLI "Safe Return" Policy for In-Person Programs
PLI has resumed live programming in both New York and San Francisco as well as our offsite venues. Learn about our "Safe Return" policy to protect attendees, faculty, and staff.
See Credit Details Below
Overview
Why You Should Attend
In the past three decades, incarceration rates have exploded in the U.S., such that today we incarcerate over two million people, more than any other country in the world. The result is that many more people encounter the criminal legal system at some point in their lives. Indeed, an estimated 1 in 3 adults in California has an arrest or conviction record, and low-income people and people of color are disproportionately affected.
A person with a prior record faces significant barriers to employment, occupational licensing, and other basic necessities like housing, even when the record is old or relatively minor. Additionally, immigrants face the threat of deportation based on criminal legal contacts as minor as an arrest that did not result in conviction. This training is designed to give lawyers a foundation in the collateral consequences of contact with the criminal legal system, as well as tools for representing clients in need of reentry legal services.
What You Will Learn
Upon completing the program, participants will be able to:
- Resentencing in California
- Recognize and implement the felony murder rule and resentencing under Penal Code section 1170(d).
- California Criminal Record Remedies Overview and Advocacy Strategies
- Understand and utilize key criminal record remedies in California; utilize strategies for assisting clients with specialized issues (e.g., PC 290 relief, immigrants with contact with the criminal legal system).
- Fines, Fees, and Restitution in California
- Identify fines, fees, and restitution in legal practice serving low-income clients. Understand how fines, fees, and restitution can arise, collateral consequences of non-payment, and what legal remedies exist.
- Overcoming Criminal Record-Related Barriers to Employment and Occupational Licensing in California
- Understand existing criminal record screening laws that apply to employers and certain occupational licensing boards, including the CA State Bar; use privacy and consumer protections and procedures to help clients obtain employment.
- Applying for a Pardon in California – Policy and Practice
- Assist with the pardon application process and understand best practices for successfully obtaining a pardon for your client.
Who Should Attend
All attorneys interested in or currently assisting pro bono clients with reentry legal services through representation or in clinical settings, law firm pro bono coordinators, managers and partners, law clinic students and faculty, and public interest and non-profit organization attorneys and staff would benefit from attending this program.