Criminal Justice Advocacy Clinic

This is a year-long clinic. Students are enrolled for four credits in the first semester and three credits in the second semester. Students may choose to enroll for additional semesters with permission of the instructor. Students meet twice weekly for scheduled seminars in addition to weekly team supervisions with the clinical professor and/or staff attorney to discuss their case work. Students also engage in intensive fieldwork outside of class time. A large portion of this time includes visiting incarcerated clients at prisons in Western and Upstate New York.  Clinic work also involves interviews with clients, clients’ family members, witnesses, attorneys, and community organizations; researching legal issues that arise in the client’s case; drafting correspondence; conducting investigations and discovery; reviewing case records; writing legal briefs or other advocacy documents; and—depending on the stage of the case—arguing the client’s case in court.

Students work in teams of two or more, and some projects may allow for collaboration with students from other law schools’ clinics. Student attorneys are expected to take the lead on their cases, under the supervision of the clinical professor and staff attorney. Student attorneys learn to build client relationships; interview witnesses; conduct investigation; develop mitigation evidence; work with experts; and engage in oral and written advocacy before the courts, parole boards, and legislature.

Policy Advocacy

Students also advocate for changes in the law to make the parole process more meaningful and just. The clinic is a part of the People’s Campaign for Parole Justice Steering Committee. As part of a statewide advocacy coalition, the clinic has met with local representatives to urge passage of two parole reform bills: Fair & Timely Parole and Elder Parole.

Clinic students have worked on the "I AM" Campaign to share the human stories behind parole reform. In New York, thousands of people are serving a sentence where parole is their only chance for a life outside of prison. However, parole is often denied decades later because of the underlying crime, despite demonstrated rehabilitation. The “I AM” Campaign shares the stories of formerly incarcerated people doing great works in the community and currently incarcerated people who strive to bring their good works from correctional facilities to the greater community.

The clinic has also held public events to promote awareness about parole justice. In December 2023, clinic students organized a well-attended community screening of The New Yorker short film, The Interview, which details formerly incarcerated people’s experiences with parole in New York State. The screening was followed by a panel discussion that included one of the featured interviewees, Jose Saldana; our parole reform consultant, Jerome Wright; a student attorney; and the father of one of our parole clients. Clinic students introduced the film and moderated the panel discussion and audience questions.

Clinic advocacy also tackles proposed reforms to increase opportunities for second-look review of sentences and to eliminate New York’s use of mandatory minimum sentencing. All these projects share the goal of broadening use of mechanisms for decarceration, for taking another look at lengthy prison sentences, and for reuniting incarcerated community members with their families.