Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
244.43 sec. 001 - Postconviction Resentencing Practicum Seminar (Spring 2026)
Instructor: Chesa Boudin (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
Instructor: Andrea Crider (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 1
Grading Designation: Credit Only
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
W 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 130
From January 14, 2026
To April 22, 2026
Course End: April 22, 2026
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 6
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 6
As of: 02/19 02:21 AM
This seminar explores the critical and evolving field of post-conviction relief, with a specific focus on legal mechanisms designed to address systemic racial inequities in sentencing. The course provides an in-depth analysis of various avenues for relief, including discretionary resentencing, felony murder or other changes in law, and the transformative impact of the California Racial Justice Act (RJA) of 2020. We will examine the historical context of racial discrimination in sentencing and the legal landscape that has evolved in response, including the shift from proving intentional bias to addressing disparate impact. Through a combination of legal theory, case studies, and guest lectures from leading experts in litigation and racial justice advocacy, students will develop a nuanced understanding of these complex issues. The seminar portion will go for the first 7 of the 14-week term, thereafter meetings will only be for practicum and casework.
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The course's practicum component will provide students with the unique opportunity to apply their knowledge by working on actual cases for incarcerated individuals seeking resentencing relief under the RJA and other post-conviction statutes. This hands-on experience will bridge the gap between academic study and practical legal advocacy, preparing students to confront and challenge racial bias in the criminal legal system. This course is perfect for anyone interested in criminal law and sentencing reform.
Topics covered will include: post-conviction law; sentencing; victim's rights; reentry; prison discipline and programming reports; and more.
Students may be required to pass a background check in order to access DA case files.
Instructor Bios:
Chesa Boudin is the founding executive director of UC Berkeley School of Law’s Criminal Law & Justice Center. He served as San Francisco’s elected district attorney from 2020 until 2022. During that time his office resentenced over 100 people from state prison using the legal process in this practicum. Prior to his election Boudin clerked for two federal judges and worked for years as a deputy public defender. He is a graduate of Yale college and Yale law school and attended Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship.
Andrea Crider is a Staff Attorney for CLJC. Prior to her role at UC Berkeley School of Law, she was a Deputy Public Defender at Contra Costa Public Defenders where she led the Resentencing Pilot Program in the Post-Conviction Unit advocating for resentencing and release for those serving inequitable sentences in CDCR, among various other roles. Andrea was also recognized by the Contra Costa Bar Association’s Pro Bono Honor Roll after serving as a volunteer attorney with For the People, a nonprofit that works to identify individuals for prosecutor-initiated resentencing. She earned her B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. She is also an alumni law clerk of the East Bay Community Law Center.
Admission will be based on an application process: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWDEBvQGkTmSax6NWou3yalvDlncPnzYFU8slKf-su46xqdA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=118267962225161898680
Attendance at the first class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
Units from this class may count towards the J.D. Experiential Requirement and the J.D. Race and Law Requirement. |
Submit teaching evaluations for this course between 22-APR-26 and 27-APR-26
Exam Notes: (None) Series of papers or assignments throughout the semester
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Criminal Law
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Practicums
Race and Law
Social Justice and Public Interest
If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment to this page.
Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Instructor has indicated that no books will be assigned.