The Contra Costa Reentry Project (CORE) assists the Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender with its Clean Slate practice, which works to help remove the barriers that a prior arrest or conviction can present to employment, housing, public benefits, and family reunification.
Students will assist attorneys and advocates in the Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender with expungement, early termination of probation, Proposition 47 reclassification, and factual innocence relief. Students will have the opportunity to:
- Draft applications and petitions for post-conviction relief
- Work directly with clients to gather required documentation and guide clients through the post-conviction relief process
- Attend Contra Costa Clean Slate Intake events and assist with screening clients for relief eligibility, drafting personal statements, and registering voters
- Research legal topics related to post-conviction relief, including the application of new laws to current practice and discrete client work
- Observe post-conviction hearings and regularly visit the Contra Costa County Public Defender’s Office
Supervision: Students in CORE provide legal services under the supervision of the Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender.
Time Commitment: Time commitment is 30-35 hours per semester, variable with workflow (not including transportation to/from the office).
For more information, please contact the student leaders at contracostareentry@law.berkeley.edu.