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Legal Resources

 

Actual Innocence Clinic

The University of Texas School of Law

727 East Dean Keeton Street

Austin TX 78705

(512) 471-1317

www.utexas.edu/law/clinics/innocence/

Screens and investigates claims that inmates are actually innocent of the offense they are serving time for. Immediate reply to inquiries, but not all cases are accepted.

 

Jailhouse Lawyer’s Handbook

c/o National Lawyers’ Guild

132 Nassau Street, Room 922

New York, NY 10038

(212) 679-5100

www.jailhouselaw.org

A resource for prisoners wishing to file a lawsuit regarding prison conditions and/or staff abuse. Write to request a copy, send $2 - check, money order or stamps. Handbook also available as a free download.

 

Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual

Columbia Human Rights Law Review

Attn: JLM Order

435 West 116th Street

New York, NY 10027

www3.law.columbia.edu/hrlr/jlm/toc/

Explains the legal rights of prisoners and how to navigate through the justice process to secure those rights. JLM contains information on how to address legal issues on both the federal level and the state level, with an emphasis on New York State law. Written and updated by members of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review. Print copy of JLM may be ordered direct from publisher. 9th edition (2012) is $30 for prisoners including shipping - check or money order only. Entire JLM is available for free online.

 

The Innocence Network

innocencenetwork.org

An affiliation of organizations dedicated to providing pro bono legal and investigative services to individuals seeking to prove innocence of crimes for which they have been convicted and working to redress the causes of wrongful convictions. The Innocence Network lists member organizations listed elsewhere in this section including the Actual Innocence Clinic, the Innocence Project, the Innocence Project of Texas, the Innocence Project of Thurgood Marshall School of Law, the Innocence Project of Wesleyan University and others.

 

The Innocence Project

40 Worth St., Suite 701

New York, NY 10013

(212) 364-5340

www.innocenceproject.org

Assists prisoners whose innocence can be proven through DNA testing. Send a brief factual summary of cases involving biological evidence or DNA with a list of evidence used against defendant. No other documents should be submitted for initial review.

 

The Innocence Project of Texas

1511 Texas Avenue

Lubbock, TX 79409

(806) 744-6525

www.ipoftexas.org

Dedicated to investigating claims of innocence made by inmates and others who have been convicted of crimes they did not commit. To submit a case for investigation, send a letter including information about the crime of conviction, your contact information, and a description of any evidence that could help to prove your innocence. Please note the following initial guidelines:

Felony convictions only

Texas convictions only

No Federal cases

Must be alleging “actual innocence,” which is defined as either a situation in which a crime did occur but you did not have anything to do with it or a situation in which no crime occurred.

Conviction must be final

 

Innocence Project of Thurgood Marshall school of law

Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy

Texas Southern University

3100 Cleburne Street

Houston, Texas 77004

(713) 313-1139 (ask for the Center for Criminal Justice Associate Director)

www.earlcarlinstitute.org/centers/criminal_justice/innocence_project.shtml

Reviews claims of actual innocence made by inmates who have been wrongfully convicted. Only handles claims of actual innocence involving DNA evidence testing, mistaken identification, or evidence that a crime never actually occurred. Does not challenge the original trial but rather looks for new evidence to disprove original conviction.

Innocence Project of Wesleyan University

 

Texas Wesleyan University School of Law

1515 Commerce Street

Fort Worth, TX 76102

Does not provide legal aid but rather investigates claims of actual innocence. To submit a case for investigation, please write in with the following details:

Full Name

Phone Number

Criminal Charge

County of Prosecution

Cause Number(s)

Short summary of what happened

Why the individual believes that he/she is “actually innocent.”

 

Legal Services Corporation

3333 K Street, NW, 3rd Floor

Washington, DC 20007-3522

(202) 295-1500

www.lsc.gov

Contact for referrals offering legal aid in your area.

 

Lone Star Legal Aid

1415 Fannin Street

Houston, TX 77002

(800) 733-8394

www.lonestarlegal.org

Fourth largest service provider of free legal aid in the United States. Serves 72 counties mostly in East Texas.

 

MUSLIM LEGAL FUND OF AMERICA

2701 W. 15th St. Suite 640

Plano TX 75075

(972) 331-9021

www.mlfa.org

Committed to preserving, safeguarding, and promoting the civil rights of Muslims in the US. Legal assistance in some cases.

 

National LEGAL AID & DEFENDER Association

1140 Connecticut Ave NW Ste. 900

Washington DC 20036

(202) 452-0620

Directory of Legal Aid and Defender Offices (2007-08) lists over 3,000 civil legal aid and public defender offices in the US, local and national support and resource centers, and sentencing advocates and mitigation specialists who work with public defenders and other criminal defense attorneys - $100.

 

Oxford University Press

2001 Evans Road

Cary, North Carolina 27513

(800) 445-9714

Publishes the following legal manuals. Check or money only. Please add $5.50 shipping for the first book, $1.50 for each additional book.

 

Prison Legal News

P.O. Box 2420

West Brattleboro, VT 05303

(802) 257-1342

www.prisonlegalnews.org

An independent 56-page monthly magazine that provides a cutting edge review and analysis of prisoner rights, court rulings and news about prison issues. PLN has a national (U.S.) focus on both state and federal prison issues, with international coverage as well. PLN provides information that enables prisoners and other concerned individuals and organizations to seek the protection and enforcement of prisoner’s rights at the grass roots level. PLN is published by the Human Rights Defense Center. $30 for one year subscription for prisoners. Also offers online resources - some free and some paid - including listserv, research, and articles.

 

SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER

400 Washington Ave.

Montgomery AL 36104

(334) 956-8200

splcenter.org

Civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. Advocates for prisoners’ rights and offers some legal resources.

 

TEXAS CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS ASSOCIATION

6808 Hill Meadow Drive

Austin, TX 78736

(512) 478-2514

Referrals to attorneys; some pro bono.

 

Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid

300 South Texas Boulevard

Weslaco, TX 78596

(800) 369-0574

www.trla.org

Third largest legal services provider in the nation and the largest in the state of Texas. Provides free legal services to low-income residents in sixty-eight counties of Southwest Texas. Offices in Austin, San Antonio, Brownsville, Laredo, El Paso, Del Rio and more.

 

Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas

816 Congress Ave. Suite 701

Austin, TX 78701

(512) 476-5550

www.vlsoct.org

Helps low-income clients access the civil justice system by providing volunteer attorneys who donate free legal advice and representation.

 

Free Legal Help and Other Freely Available Legal Information

 

 

Besides the above information, the following links should provide ample resources and sources for your efforts in finding free legal help.

LEGAL HELP

 

The United States incarcerates more of its citizens than any other nation in the world. The increase in the jail and prison population from 300,000 to 2.3 million in the past 40 years has led to unprecedented prison overcrowding and put tremendous strain on state budgets.

In America, nearly one out of every three black men in their twenties is in jail or prison, on probation or parole, or otherwise under criminal justice control. Black men are eight times more likely to be incarcerated than white men. Without reform, it is estimated that 40% of the black male population in the State of Alabama will permanently lose the right to vote as the result of a criminal conviction

Across the United States, thousands of children have been sentenced as adults and sent to adult prisons. Nearly 3000 juveniles nationwide have been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Children as young as 13 years old have been tried as adults and sentenced to die in prison, typically without any consideration of their age or circumstances of the offense.

The United States incarcerates more of its citizens than any other nation in the world. The increase in the jail and prison population from 300,000 to 2.3 million in the past 40 years has lead to unprecedented prison overcrowding and put tremendous strain on state budgets. “Tough on crime” policy has created a growing underclass of ex-prisoners who are barred from productively re-entering society by increasingly numerous and onerous restrictions on things like applying for a driver's license, adopting a child, voting, and receiving federal aid for education or food in many states.

 

Free credit reports

 

You have the right to a free report once every 12 months from each of the three national credit reporting agencies, upon your request. Order your free credit reports online at www.annualcreditreport. com or by calling 877-322-8228.

 

You’re also entitled to a free copy if:

• You are unemployed and looking for work.

• You are receiving public assistance.

• You are denied a rental home, a checking or savings account, insurance or a job based on your credit.

• You are a victim of credit fraud (ID theft).

Nearly 650,000 people are released from America’s prisons each year. They return to their communities needing housing and jobs, but their prospects are generally bleak. The majority of ex-prisoners have not completed high school. In addition, close to three quarters of them have a history of substance abuse, and more than one third  have a physical or mental disability.

 

These former prisoners are going home to some of the nation’s poorest neighborhoods, where they often lack stable social bonds and support networks and where there are few services to help them restart their lives. Given the huge gap between their complex challenges and their limited opportunities for addressing them, it is not surprising that recidivism rates are high. In fact, more than half (52 percent) of former state prisoners are back behind bars within three years after their release, either as a result of a parole violation or because they have committed a new crime.

This cycle of recidivism produces many negative consequences. Households that are already fragile become overwhelmed. Communities that are already struggling fall further behind. The lives of those who move in and out of prison are wasted. And the cost to taxpayers is enormous. Overall, the US spends more than $60 billion a year on prisons and jails. (It costs more than $23,000 to incarcerate someone in a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility for one year and approximately $3,500 per year for probation; incarceration in a state prison can run as high as $45,000 per year or more.)

 

Without the development of effective approaches for reducing recidivism, the problem is certain to grow. The number of Americans behind bars has increased steadily and now includes more than 2.1 million men and women. Almost all of them will eventually be released, and, unless something changes, more than half of them will not be successful in reentering their communities and will return to prison.

Additional Legal Disclaimer:

“Help For Inmates” cannot provide legal advice, representation, referrals, or guidance to those who need legal help. Nothing on this page (or our website) is intended to be legal advice or should be relied on as legal advice. If you or your loved one feels that you need legal advice, you should consult with an attorney of your choosing. Any listing or link on this page is provided as information for you to check  on your own and should in no way be construed as a recommendation or endorsement of any particular link or listing.

Prisoner Support Resources

 

 

ACLU National Prison Project

915 15th street N.W.

Washington, DC 20005

www.aclu.org/prisoners-rights/

Dedicated to ensuring that U.S. prisons, jails, and other places of detention comply with the Constitution, domestic law, and international human rights principles. ACLU National Prison Project publishes numerous resources including:

“Prisoners’ Assistance Directory” (list of resources by state and by subject, please indicate your needs)

“Know Your Rights: Medical, Dental and Mental Health Care”

“Know Your Rights: Freedom of Religion”

“Know Your Rights: Publications Sent by Mail”

“Know Your Rights: Legal Rights of Disabled Prisoners”

“Know Your Rights: Environmental Hazards and Toxic Materials”

“Know Your Rights: The Prison Litigation Reform Act”

“Know Your Rights: Privileged and Non-Privileged Mail”

The NPP does not assist individual prisoners with criminal cases. Download above listed publications online or mail in to request printed copy. Please do not send any court documents or documents that you need returned. Note that wait times for printed publications via mail request may be very long due to the volume of prisoner correspondence.

 

ACLU OF TEXAS

State Headquarters

P.O. Box 8306

Houston, TX 77288-8306

(713) 942-8146

(888) 653-6498 toll free

 

ACLU of Texas - Austin Regional Office

P.O. Box 12905

Austin, TX 78711-2905

(512) 478-7300

 

ACLU of Texas - Brownsville Regional Office

P.O. Box 6087

Brownsville, TX 78523-6087

(956) 465-1905

Works in the courts, the legislature, and through public education to protect civil rights and individual liberty. Please do not send legal complaints or request for legal assistance to the above addresses.

 

CRITICAL RESISTANCE

1904 Franklin Street, Suite 504

Oakland, CA 94612

www.criticalresistance.org

Building an international movement to end the prison industrial complex.

 

Department OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

810 Vermont Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20420

VA Benefits: (800) 827-1000

GI Bill: (888) 442-4551

Health Care Benefits: (877) 222-8387

Mammography Helpline: (888) 492-7844

Toxic issues, Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome, etc.: (800) 749-8387

www.va.gov

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program offered to those with an honorable discharge. Mail for application.

 

Direct Action for Rights And Equality

340 Lockwood Street

Providence, RI 02907

(401) 351-6960

www.daretowin.org

Organizes low-income families in communities of color for social, economic and political justice.

 

Disabled American Veterans

Waco Regional Office:

1 Veterans Plaza, 701 Clay St.

Waco, TX 76799

(254) 299-9932

Houston Regional Office

6900 Alameda Road, Rm. 1033

Houston, TX 77030

(713) 383-2715

San Antonio Contact Office:

5788 Eckhert Road, Rm. 2A112

San Antonio, TX 78240

(210) 699-5064

www.dav.org

Dedicated to building better lives for America’s disabled veterans and their families.

 

DISABILITY RIGHTS EDUCATION And DEFENSE FUND

3075 Adeline St. Suite 210

Berkeley, CA 94703

(510) 644-2555

Legal aid for cases involving civil rights violations related to disability.

 

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor

New York, NY 10118-3299

(212) 290-4700

www.hrw.org

Conducts investigations into human rights abuses and publicizes findings in local and international media.

 

NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC.

99 Hudson Street, Suite 1600

New York NY 10013

212-965-2200

www.naacpldf.org

Legal aid focused on cases involving issues of racial justice.

 

National CENTER ON INSTITUTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES

7222 Ambassador Rd.

Baltimore MD 21244

(410) 265-1490

www.ncianet.org

Criminal justice services to defense attorneys, defendants, inmates, and court systems throughout the US.

 

NATIONAL CURE

P. O. Box 2310

Washington, DC 20013-2310

(202) 789-2126

www.curenational.org

Grassroots organization believes that prisons should be used only for those who absolutely must be incarcerated and that those who are incarcerated should have all of the resources they need to turn their lives around.

 

NATIONAL VETERANS LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM

c/o Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program

PO Box 65762

Washington DC 20035

(202) 265-8305

Pro-bono legal program for veterans denied benefits.

 

PRISON ACTIVIST RESOURCE CENTER

PO Box 70447

Oakland, CA 94612

prisonactivist.org

Working to expose and challenge the institutionalized racism and classism of the prison industrial complex. Resource directory free to prisoners upon request.

 

Project for Older Prisoners

National Law Center

2000 H Street NW

Washington, DC 20052

(202) 994-7001

www.law.gwu.edu/Academics/EL/clinics/Pages/POPS.aspx

Students assist individual low-risk prisoners over the age of 55 to help them obtain paroles, pardons, or alternative forms of incarceration.

 

 

 

http://www.tbnsecondchance.org/

 

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DISCLAIMER:   Listing(s) on this website do not constitute an endorsement of or recommendation for said entity or its mission(s) and philosophies by Help For Inmates, its staff, consultants, advisers, directors or funders. Reasonable efforts have been made to confirm the validity and viability of programs, organizations or resources listed on this website but it is the responsibility of the reader to research and determine the validity of the data provided. Help For Inmates is in no way affiliated, associated or connected to any of the websites provided, and assumes no responsibilities for any representations, actions or recommendations of any of these websites. Help for Inmates makes no claims of ownership over the information sources or materials provided by any of the sites provided. All copyrighted materials are and remains the property of the sites on where they appear and Help for Inmates makes no claims over those materials. Help for inmates is not a 501(C) not for profit organization. 

Help for Inmates is in no way associated or affiliated with any state or federal agency. Information obtained from our website should not be considered a substitute for the advice of an attorney and it in no way creates an attorney-client relationship. All of our services, programs and related information are designed to provide the most authoritative and accurate information concerning the subject matter posted. If you require specific legal advice, you should seek the services of a properly licensed attorney.

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