In 2013, at age 38, PCJP Edel Gonzalez was considered for (and eventually granted) parole as the first inmate under a new law to have his life sentence reduced for a crime he committed as a juvenile. Governor Jerry Brown signed the California law that allows inmates similar to Gonzalez,…
On September 16, 2013, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 260, a measure that allows inmates whose crimes were committed as minors to appear before the Board of Parole Hearings to demonstrate their suitability for release after serving at least 15 years of their sentence. The law will affect more than…
SB 260 - Youthful Offender Parole Hearing - Passes the Assembly Floor Senate Bill 260, authored by Senator Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley), passed the Assembly floor with a vote of 51-21. SB 260 requires the Board of Parole Hearings to conduct a youth offender parole hearing to consider release of offenders…
Gary “Malachi” Scott has been incarcerated his entire adult life. Despite this, he has matured into a thoughtful, kind, and talented adult. On December 27, 2012, the Board of Parole hearing found him suitable for parole. Governor Brown will make his final decision May 2013. Malachi was born in South…
USC Gould School of Law students in the Post-Conviction Justice Project recently won two victories following oral arguments before the California Courts of Appeal, Second District.
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In a defining case for the California parole system, the Post-Conviction Justice Project successfully argued before the California Supreme Court that longtime inmate Sandra Davis-Lawrence’s due process rights had been violated by the Governor’s reversal of her grant of parole.
Post-Conviction Justice Project students Mark Fahey and Celina Kirchner took time away from their cases this week to visit Sacramento, where they lobbied legislators in support of juvenile justice bill SB-9.
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A victim of human trafficking and extreme abuse by her captor, Marisol Garcia was finally released and reunited with her family in Mexico.