What is the Redemption Project of Washington?
The Redemption Project of Washington (RPW) is a partnership program between the Seattle Clemency Project (SCP) and Washington Defender Association (WDA).
RPW began in 2022 as a pilot project when it became clear that there was a lack of basic information being provided to the prison population about changes in the law that could provide certain individuals an opportunity to be resentenced. For example:
State v. Blake makes drug possession convictions void and has application where a prior conviction was included in the “criminal history” for other conviction;
Robbery 2 was removed from the “Three Strikes” list of crimes that count as “strikes” creating a right to resentencing for people sentenced under the “Three Strikes” law who had a robbery 2 conviction.
The constitutional requirements for sentencing children prosecuted and sentenced in adult courts have changed; and
The court announced a right to resentencing for individuals who were 18-20 years old at the time of offense and were sentenced to life in prison without parole for aggravated first degree murder.
The Washington Legislature passed a law in 2020 creating a new law allowing prosecutors to initiate resentencing (sometimes referred to as “6164” petitions named after the bill).
We also recognized that defense attorneys and their clients actively engaged in resentencing case work needed more support.
RPW Stage 1 (Sept. 2022 - June 2023):
To address these concerns, during the first year of the Redemption Project of Washington, we offered two core services to support resentencing work:
An individual assessment for applicants to determine whether they were eligible for resentencing under one of the four changes in law described above; and
Technical case support and reentry planning support for an individual and their defense attorney or defense team when the person has been granted a new sentencing hearing.
RPW received over 1500 letters requesting assistance, a much greater number than anticipated. These letters are still being reviewed and responded to as of September 2023.
RPW Stage 2 (Beginning July 1, 2023)
RPW has a small staff working on this pilot program, and beginning in July 2023, we have adjusted our services and can no longer conduct individualized resentencing assessments.
Our core services supporting resentencing hearings now include:
1. Providing Legal Information Support for Incarcerated Individuals:
RPW will distribute information sheets that will describe recent significant developments in sentencing law. We will work with DOC so that these updates are available in the law library.
When new laws are announced or enacted, RPW will provide newsletters explaining that new law and how we expect it will be applied to individuals under sentence.
RPW has a guide called “Resentencing, Clemency and Juvenile Parole,” provided to DOC for the prison law libraries. This guide explains what those options are and how they work.
RPW will host an in-person workshop at each DOC prison over the next year to provide guidance on issues relating to resentencing, juvenile parole, and clemency.
2. Support for Defense Attorneys and Clients in Active Resentencing Cases:
RPW provides training, case support and resource materials for defense attorneys working on resentencing cases. Technical case support to an attorney can include brainstorming a case, issue spotting, analyzing legal issues and planning for release and reentry.
Individuals can ask RPW to provide case assistance to their attorneys on an active resentencing case by writing to RPW at the address below:
Seattle Clemency Project
ATTN: Redemption Project of Washington
20415 72nd Avenue South, Suite 1-415
Kent, Washington 98032
