Resources for Community Members
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Community Resources
How to Track Bills and Participate in the Legislative Process
Community members can track the status of proposed bills and testify, in person or remotely, at legislative hearings.
Washington Defender Association Is Assisting Defense Attorneys and Teams with Resentencing Hearings in Washington State
Trial level criminal defense attorneys have historically handled cases as new charges; they first meet their clients at the beginning of a case, at arraignment, or at the pre-trial stage. Now, recent court decisions and legislative changes have provided numerous individuals with the opportunity for a second chance through resentencing hearings. With resentencing now happening more often, many defense attorneys and team members are meeting their clients at the backend of a case, after the client’s sentence and any direct appeal have passed.
Washington Defender Association (WDA), along with our partners the Seattle Clemency Project (SCP) and the State Office of Public Defense (OPD), are providing extra support for defenders working on these complex resentencing cases. WDA has a new section of our website, here, for quickly accessing prior trainings and resources for resentencing, in addition to all things related to Blake, found here.
Cindy Arends Elsberry, WDA's Resentencing Resource Attorney, is currently available to consult with defense attorneys and their team members on felony resentencing cases. Attorneys can reach Cindy here.
Washington Defender Association Immigration Project Is Assisting with Post Conviction Relief in Washington State
In partnership with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, we are helping non-citizen clients who were not advised of the adverse immigration consequences in their case to return to court.
Resources for post-conviction relief for non-citizen clients can be found here. We have practice advisories, sample pleadings, and a form to request assistance with your case. Sarah Hudson, WDA’s Immigration Resource Attorney, will provide support and advice to attorneys working on post-conviction relief for non-citizen clients, and can assist with training. Reach her here.
2023 WA Legislative Updates: Laws Impacting Incarcerated Individuals, Second Chance Procedures, and Reentry
The 2023 WA Legislature passed numerous bills impacting incarcerated individuals, second chance legal procedures and pathways (resentencing and early release), and reentry. This article summarizes the highlights of the changes.
RPW 2.0 One-Pagers
In July 2023, the RPW partnership program began its second year of increasing access to counsel and reentry support in trial-level post-conviction cases. The following fact sheets explain processes and programs related to second chance advocacy:
2024 Laws Impacting Incarcerated Individuals, Resentencing, Early Release, and Reentry
This publication summarizes the 2024 bills that passed and includes a summary of significant bills the legislature considered but did not pass this year.
February 2024 Update from the Courts: Pending Issues Related to Resentencing
There are several cases with important issues related to resentencing pending in the Washington Supreme Court.