Release from Prison

As an abolitionist organization that sprang from the self-liberatory efforts of incarcerated people who organized themselves and their loved ones outside, to fight for their own rights and freedom, winning release for people in prison — both in individual cases and as a result of strategies and policies of decarceration — is the founding core of our mission. We support the efforts of incarcerated people to rejoin and make positive and healthy contributions to their families and communities, who in turn are enriched by the presence of their formerly incarcerated loved ones.

We have a long history of litigating cases challenging unjust convictions and sentences, and of winning release for political and politicized prisoners and other people who’ve served decades behind bars. Many of those we’ve represented in successful efforts to win release were mentored by Russell Maroon Shoatz (ALC’s first client) and other political prisoners in the PA state system.

In the last few years we’ve also significantly scaled up our focus on so-called “compassionate release” cases that give a pathway out of prison and into more dignified and appropriate end-of-life care for terminally ill people who meet stringent guidelines. The demand for this representation is intense as the number of aging people in PA’s prisons has grown exponentially as a result of the state’s draconian long-term sentencing laws. Compassionate release cases are a highly specialized and labor intensive type of litigation, and we’re developing a network of other firms and entities with whom we’re sharing our expertise so that more people can be assisted.

In the video here, ALC client Bradford Gamble describes his experience with the compassionate release process, and ALC staff attorney Rupalee Rashatwar provides additional context about the excruciating conditions for aging and ill people in prison.

Expand the “Compassionate Release” section below to learn more.

"Compassionate Release" and PA's Aging Prison Population

Pennsylvania has one of the oldest prison populations in the country. Currently, more than 10,000 people over age 50 are incarcerated in PA, where more people are sentenced to life without parole than in any other state except Florida, which has twice PA’s population.

Furthermore, life expectancy is drastically reduced for people inside the violent and abusive prison system.

Yet keeping older people incarcerated serves no public safety purpose, since science indicates that people age out of violence.

For those nearing the end of their lives, being incarcerated is especially devastating. Incarcerated people are not able to access support from their loved ones on the outside as their health and mental awareness deteriorate, and they are denied the chance to spend end-of-life time together.

Compassionate release is the complex legal mechanism through which incarcerated people experiencing dire, terminal health conditions, may petition the court to release them from prison before they have completed their sentences.

ALC is working to scale up our compassionate release program, and build a network of other litigators who are well-versed in this specialized and labor-intensive process. We aim to enable more terminally ill, older incarcerated people to use compassionate release as a pathway out of prison and into more dignified and appropriate end-of-life care.