Parole Suitability Hearing

Parole is a period of supervision that follows an individual after their release from prison. Most inmates will automatically be released to parole after finishing their “determinate” sentence. Parole is distinct from probation in that probation is part of the sentencing scheme while parole follows the completion of a criminal sentence.

There are two general types of parole: one which follows automatically after completion of a defined sentence, and the other is granted only after an indeterminately sentenced prisoner is granted parole..

There are several factors that may be considered by the parole board at a parole hearing:

The circumstances of the offense
The inmate’s expression of remorse for the crime
The inmate’s behavior in prison
Psychological reports
The inmate’s post-parole plans (work, education, etc)
Inmates are allowed to have the help of an attorney in convincing the parole board that he/she is ready for release. Unfortunately, even when a panel of the board elects to grant parole, the full board and/or the Governor may in some cases chose to reverse the panel’s decision

After an inmate is placed on parole, there are a number of conditions by which an inmate must abide. Violation of these conditions can lead to re-imprisonment. Common parole terms include:

Broad consent to be searched
Geographic living and travel restrictions
Restrictions on weapon ownership or use
Prohibitions on gang association
Limitations on internet usage for related crimes
Reporting requirements
Our attorneys have had a success rate in achieving dates for various clients. If you know someone who is in need of representation before the parole board, feel free to contact our office today.

The writ of Habeas Corpus is the legal system’s last line of defense against unlawful incarceration. Anyone who is in prison, or otherwise restrained in some way by the criminal justice system, can bring a writ of habeas corpus petition to challenge their imprisonment.

California Habeas Petition? Under California law, a suspect may file a Habeas Corpus petition under certain defined conditions.

Common grounds for habeas petitions include:

Unconstitutional criminal law
Ineffective assistance of defense counsel (or no counsel provided)
Prosecutorial misconduct
Incompetency during trial
Discovery of new (convincingly exonerating evidence)
Changes in the law
Certain convictions of battered women
Prison conditions
Federal Habeas Petition ?If a defendant is denied redress under the State system (including the State’s own Habeas process&, Federal law provides a special Habeas process under which defendants can challenge the state process itself against United States Constitutional standards. Alternatively, prisoners charged directly under Federal law do not have any recourse to State Habeas Petitions and must file original petitions in Federal court. In either case, the basic premise of a Habeas Petition remains the same as those filed under State law; the major difference being the time constraints within which a petition must be filed. Specifically, Federal law generally imposes a strict one-year limitation on filing petitions.

Habeas petitions are difficult and having a lawyer with experience in habeas practice can make a big difference in your case. We not only have experience in habeas corpus cases, but something else more important: a track record of success. Our attorneys have worked on numerous habeas cases and have achieved results for our clients that have changed their lives…

Our Partner, Ian Graham, used a habeas corpus petition to overturn a life sentence for a wrongful murder conviction.

The story—part memoir, part hard-hitting expose—of a first-year law associate negotiating the arduous path through a system designed to break those who enter it before it makes them. Landing a job at a prestigious L.A. law firm, complete with a six figure income, signaled the beginning of the good life for Ian Graham. But the harsh reality of life as an associate quickly became evident. The work was grueling and boring, the days were impossibly long, and Graham’s sole purpose was to rack up billable hours. But when he took an unpaid pro bono case to escape the drudgery, Graham found the meaning in his work that he’d been looking for. As he worked to free Mario Rocha, a gifted young Latino who had been wrongly convicted at 16 and sentenced to life without parole, the shocking contrast between the greed and hypocrisy of law firm life and Mario’s desperate struggle for freedom led Graham to look long and hard at his future as a corporate lawyer. Clear-eyed and moving, written with the drama and speed of a John Grisham novel and the personal appeal of Scott Turow’s account of his law school years, Unbillable Hours is an arresting personal story with implications for all of us.

HABEAS CORPUS PETITION
Need More Information?? If you would like more information about Writs of Habeas Corpus or about how the Writ might apply in your specific case, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Depending on your situation, you might be facing a deadline within which to seek help. Don’t wait and risk jeopardizing your Constitutional rights.
California Habeas Petition? Under California law, a suspect may file a Habeas Corpus petition under certain defined conditions.
Common grounds for habeas petitions include:
• Unconstitutional criminal law
• Ineffective assistance of defense counsel (or no counsel provided)
• Prosecutorial misconduct
• Incompetency during trial
• Discovery of new (convincingly exonerating evidence)
• Changes in the law
• Certain convictions of battered women
• Prison conditions