Parole granted after 26 years, two previous denials

At Chuckawalla Valley State Prison, our client was found suitable for parole after serving 26 years in prison. The client had been denied at his previous two hearings.

Mr. Hammond’s comprehensive preparation for the hearing included several client visits to help the client understand what he needed to do in order to be granted parole after his conviction for first degree murder in 1989; connecting with community resources including housing and job offers for after the inmate is released; drafting and submitting a 213-page brief (including exhibits), explaining to the Board of Parole Hearings why the client is suitable for parole; and meetings with the client’s family to help them understand the parole process.

By helping the client gain insight into the causative factors of his offense and express appropriate remorse for the broad victimology of his offense, Mr. Hammond assisted the client in making the final steps toward parole suitability.

Mr. Hammond has been preparing clients for parole and representing them at parole suitability hearings since 2007, when he was a Certified Law Student Intern at USC Law School’s Post-Conviction Justice Project. He runs a free legal clinic with the Fair Chance Project on the second Saturday of each month, to discuss parole-related issues.  The clinic is at Chuco’s Justice Center in Inglewood, CA.