Students will assist incarcerated individuals with preparation of a parole packet that will be submitted to the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole. A typical parole packet includes a client narrative, photographs, letters of support, certificates, medical records, and other relevant documents. Students will interview the client by phone to learn about their offense history, background, and future plans. Parole packet preparation also may include additional interviews with family members, affidavit drafting, research, and writing. Some student volunteers may have an opportunity to represent the client in a parole hearing in front of the Board. Students will work in groups and must be able to commit to working on the packet throughout the year, depending on the client’s parole eligibility date. Training sessions will be held in September and periodically throughout the year to address specific tasks (e.g., requesting documents) and skills (e.g., creating a reentry plan or drafting letters of support).
Organization
Parole Project, Mithoff Pro Bono Program
The Parole Project is an internal project of the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program. Its mission is to prepare parole packets on behalf of incarcerated women in order 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 2021
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 30-40 hours over the course of the academic year, including training sessions; most packets will be submitted in March or April 2022 with a parole hearing in May or June but there may be an opportunity for some volunteers to take on cases with earlier submission dates
- Training
- TBD based on student volunteer availability
- 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 the client in person, depending on updated TDCJ visitation guidelines at the time of the visit (if in-person visits are possible, under current guidelines they would involve a covid test or proof of vaccination, as well as masking); drafting the packet can be done at the law school or another location at the student’s discretion
- Address
- 727 E. Dean Keeton Street, Austin, TX 78705
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 18
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L
- To Apply
- Submit email stating (1) your interest in the project; (2) experience with criminal justice work or social work (defined broadly to include any direct client services, public policy, or reentry work); (3) any writing or interview experience; and (4) whether you are willing to be on a team with an earlier submission date and project deadlines (February 2022 submission) to Sarah Sedgwick at ssedgwick@law.utexas.edu by noon on Wednesday, September 8