Join Penn Carey Law’s Toll Public Interest Center and the Compassionate Release Collaborative (CRC) pro bono project as they explore Pennsylvania’s Medical Transfer Statute and how to represent terminally ill incarcerated individuals. Also known as compassionate release, this statute is the mechanism by which individuals who are incarcerated, terminally ill, and have a prognosis of less than a year to live may petition a criminal court to be released to a medical facility or to hospice care

In the 15-year period following the enactment of the current statute, it is estimated that only about 55 people have been successful in getting their sentence deferred through this law. Pennsylvania has one of the oldest populations of incarcerated people in the country, and the need for attorneys to take these kinds of cases is dire.

Rupalee Rashatwar and Nia Holston, Staff Attorneys at the Abolitionist Law Center and supervising attorneys for the CRC, will provide an overview of the statute and discuss the best strategies for success in bringing these cases before a criminal court. They will also give an analysis of the crisis of aging people in Pennsylvania and how to navigate complex legal challenges that have emerged in medical transfer cases. By the end of the presentation, attorneys will be equipped to represent incarcerated individuals in these matters, and can elect to receive case referrals.