Students will assist incarcerated individuals with preparation of a parole packet that will submitted to the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole in advance of the individual’s parole eligibility date. The packet may include a narrative portion, photographs, letters of support, certificates, medical records, or other relevant documents. Students will interview the incarcerated individual in her prison facility to gain additional information about her background and her future plans. Parole packet preparation also may include additional interviews, affidavit drafting, research, and writing. Students will work in groups and must be able to commit to working on the packet throughout the semester, and potentially into the spring semester depending on the client’s parole date. A training session will be held in September, and work sessions will be held in October and November.
Organization
Parole Project
The Parole Project is a student-led internal project of the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program. Its mission is to prepare parole packets to provide the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole with information that enables the Board to gain a more holistic, human picture of incarcerated individuals it reviews for parole.
Project Details
- Project Start Date
September 2019
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 30-50 hours over the course of the academic year, including training and work sessions; it is anticipated that the majority of the project hours will be completed in the fall semester
- Training
- Thursday, October 10, 5:30-6:30pm (Goodwin Conference Room (CCJ 1.312))
- Skills used
- Interviewing; document requests; document review; legal research and writing; potential oral advocacy.
- Project location
- Preparation of the parole packet may involve travel to meet with client, family members, former employers, etc.; drafting the packet can be done at the law school, or another location at the student’s discretion.
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 15 (updated 9/27/19)
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L
- To Apply
- Submit email stating interest, experience with criminal justice work, and writing skills to Sarah Sedgwick at ssedgwick@law.utexas.edu