Decarceration & Reentry Cln Fw

Catalog description

The Re-Entry Clinic combines individual representation with seminar discussions around the central theme of mass incarceration. Under direct supervision, clinic students represent individuals sentenced as juveniles at parole hearings and in court at resentencing hearings pursuant to the Juvenile Restoration Act. This clinic provides an opportunity for law students who are enrolled in either the day or evening program to assist individuals who are seeking to be released from confinement and restart their lives. The clinic students have the opportunity to develop an extensive array of lawyering skills, including interviewing and counseling clients, developing case histories, maintaining case files, investigating cases, and developing effective oral and written advocacy. The seminar component focuses on skills development such as storytelling, problem-solving and developing case theories, and will focus on broader reentry challenges due to race and social inequality in the criminal legal system. Students also work collaboratively with community-based reentry advocates to promote effective reentry strategies. While representing clients, students will be able to develop their roles as lawyers through the services they provide and the connections they cultivate.