Criminal Justice Reform Clinic Transforms Lives with SB 819

Students in the CJRC are actively bringing SB 819 cases, representing clients in cases across the state, writing petitions, and participating in hearings in circuit courts.

Christa Doerbeck (left) and Jemma Pritchard (right)

Data Analysis by Law Students Helps Secure Victory for Disability Rights Oregon

In connection with their work with Disability Rights Oregon and the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic, 3L students Jemma Pritchard and Christa Doerbeck analyzed data related to fitness to proceed orders, leading to more equitable criminal justice procedures for houseless and disabled people in Oregon.

professor Aliza Kaplan

Professor Receives Awards for Outstanding Criminal Justice Work

Three awards were given to Professor Aliza Kaplan, Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic and Professor of Lawyering for her criminal justice work in Oregon.
advocacy

CJRC and PSU Publish Comprehensive Report on Oregon Parole System

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic and PSU issue a report on Oregon’s parole system, recommending critical reforms.

Oregon Justice Building, home of the state's Supreme Court and Court of Appeals in Salem

Oregon Supreme Court ruling is a Win for CJRC

The Oregon Supreme Court ruled that private medical entities operating in jails must follow state public accommodations laws.

Students & alum reflect on the Black Oregonian Pardon Project

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic’s project seeks to pardon non-expungeable felonies from community members’ records.
CJRC
Mark Cebert '22

CJRC Student Advocates for Oregon Legislation

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic and its students, working on the issue of nonunanimous jury convictions, advocated for a state law to give those convicted by nonunanimous jury in the past the right to petition to have their cases vacated.
Natalie Hollabaugh speaking with a client

Clinic Works to Expunge Oregon Juvenile Records Across Oregon

Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) partners with Youth, Rights & Justice to expand free assistance to individuals with juvenile criminal records in any county in Oregon.
Senate Bill 819 establishes a procedure where a district attorney and a person convicted of a felony may jointly petition the sentenci...

Criminal Reform Justice Clinic Successfully Champions Legislation

Senate Bill 819 establishes a procedure where a district attorney and a person convicted of a felony may jointly petition the sentencing court for reconsideration of their conviction and/or sentence.
Clinic student Maggie Powers and the clinic's client Ronnie, who was released on June 24th after a successful parole hearing review.

Criminal Justice Reform Clinic removes barriers for incarcerated individuals

CJRC’s Parole Project represents incarcerated individuals in their parole hearings, and is engaged in a data project that will inform ways to strengthen the parole release system.
The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) and Clinic Director Aliza Kaplan were prominently featured in the OSB Bulletin for the work Pro...

The Ramos Project: Justice for Unjust Convictions

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic works to eliminate the impact of Oregon’s non-unanimous jury rule by providing legal assistance to people with post-conviction relief cases based on Ramos v. Louisiana, the U.S. Supreme Court’s case striking down non-unanimous jury convictions in criminal cases.

Natalie Hollabaugh '21.

Natalie Hollabaugh ’21 Selected for Prestigious Fellowship to Provide Juvenile Justice Legal Services in Oregon

Natalie Hollabaugh ’21 received a prestigious Equal Justice Works Fellowship for the next two years to work with CJRC on improving juvenile justice.
Aliza Kaplan, CJRC, clinic work, clinic, criminal justice reform, criminal law, law students
Professor Aliza Kaplan and clinic students.

CJRC’s Work with Nonunanimous Juries Featured Prominently in OSB Cover Story

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) and Clinic Director Aliza Kaplan were prominently featured in the OSB Bulletin for the work Professor Kaplan and the Clinic have done to end nonunanimous jury convictions and help people convicted by a nonunanimous jury post Ramos.
Aliza Kaplan, CJRC, clemency, criminal justice reform
Clinic student Alison Kavanagh and client Juliette McShane.

Criminal Justice Reform Clinic Obtains 14 Clemencies Since April

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) petitioned for and received an amazing 14 commutations for their clients since April of this year. CJRC also made Oregon history when Governor Kate Brown commuted its client to the Parole Board after reducing his sentence from Life Without Parole to Life, the first time such a commutation has happened in Oregon.
CJRC, non-unanimous juries

Amicus Curiae Briefs to Oregon Supreme Court Regarding Convictions Based on Nonunanimous Jury Instructions

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic joined five other organizations in filing amicus briefs asking the Oregon Supreme Court to hold that all convictions obtained in a trial that included the nonunanimous jury instruction be reversed and remanded for a new trial.
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Danny Alcazar

CJRC Files Amicus Brief for COVID Related Release

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School (CJRC or Clinic) and the ACLU of Oregon filed an amicus brief on Friday in Curry County Circuit Court in the case of Danny Alcazar, 28, who is seeking release from prison while his case is on appeal. Alcazar is currently being held on a parole violation in Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem.
Aliza Kaplan, CJRC, clinic, criminal justice reform, criminal law, law students, student
L-R: Patty Butterfield, Venetia Mayhew, Suzanne Mills, Brittany Hill '19.

CJRC Clients Receive Clemency and Win Parole

Governor Kate Brown commuted two clients of the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) at the beginning of April. Suzanne Miles and Patricia Butterfield both applied for clemency in 2018 and were released from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility on April 10, 2020. A third client of CJRC, parolee Joshua Wilburn, was released nearly three months early on April 20th. The Clinic submitted 80 pages of material, including a parole plan, and represented him in his hearing in from of the Parole Board this past fall; Mr. Wilburn was successful at both his murder review hearing then and at his exit interview on March 16, 2020.
Aliza Kaplan, CJRC, supreme court

Supreme Court Strikes Down Non-Unanimous Jury Convictions in Criminal Cases, Cites Professor Kaplan in Opinion

Aliza Kaplan, Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic and Professor of Lawyering, was cited by US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in his concurring opinion in Ramos v. Louisiana, decided in April. In the Ramos decision, the United States Supreme Court struck down nonunanimous jury verdicts as unconstitutional.
CJRC, criminal justice reform, criminal law
Professor Aliza Kaplan

Prof Kaplan, CJRC in NY Times

In a story about non-unanimous juries, professor Aliza Kaplan and the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic are mentioned for research on how the law affects Oregonians.
cjrc

CJRC Files Amicus Brief with U.S. Supreme Court in State v. Sims

Lewis & Clark Law School’s Criminal Justice Reform Clinic filed an amicus brief about the unconstitutionality of non-unanimous juries in a Louisiana case.

CJRC files amicus brief with U.S. Supreme Court

Clinic students Stacie Damazo, Jonny Gersten and Maxwell Evans helped craft the brief. Researching, writing and filing an amicus curiae brief is valuable experience and may effect nationwide change.
AP Photo/Dave Martin

The death penalty is getting more and more expensive. Is it worth it?

Director Aliza Kaplan recently co-authored an article with Peter A. Collins of Seattle University comparing death penalty costs to the costs associated with non-capitol cases.