On what would have been Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 94th birthday, Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE) was deeply honored to receive the Barristers’ Outstanding Organization Community Service Award, an award made even more special because it was presented to us by a friend of PLSE and United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Senior Judge Theodore H. McKee.

And it was appropriate that PLSE’s co-founders, attorney Mike Lee and attorney Ryan Hancock were present since their vision for PLSE embodied the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King so frequently referred to in his speeches. Dr. King recognized the interconnected issues of criminal justice, equality, and dignity. Time and again he weaved together the story of what a good society looks like - absent of poverty and inequality and built on the foundation of justice and economic fairness.

Individually, and as an organization, we rededicate our efforts to work every day through the law, education, advocacy, and narrative toward creating Dr. King’s Beloved Community.

Every year, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP) host the Take The Lead Fundraiser event, honoring women leaders from the community.

One of this year’s 4 honorees is our Executive Director Renee Chenault Fattah, who was nominated by PLSE Board Member Carolina Di Grigorio.

In addition to being recognized for serving as a role model to young women, each honoree was paired with a Girl Scout. Renee’s mentee is Cassidy Romano, a senior at Perkiomen Valley High School. Cassidy attended the Barristers MLK Breakfast with Renee, and then afterwards interviewed Renee about her career and the importance of the work PLSE. Way to go Cassidy, and congrats Renee!

Penn State Dickinson Law & McNees: We are joined in an exciting new partnership by Penn State Dickinson Law and law firm McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC. Organized by student Jaden Harding, led by 3 attorneys from McNees, and supervised by our own Managing Attorney Sarah Coyle, a team of Penn State Dickinson law students are working with PLSE pardon clients, gathering their stories and helping them prepare for application submission. So far, 21 PLSE clients have been matched with Dickinson student volunteers.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP: We are thrilled to welcome Simpson Thacher attorneys to our pro bono network, our first NY group- proving neither space nor distance can stop a dedicated pardon coach! We thank their Pro Bono Attorney, Nihara Choudhri, for reaching out to make the connection!

Welcome, Penn State Dickinson, McNees, and Simpson Thacher to the PLSE pro bono family!

On March 15, Westmoreland County will hold its first Pardon & Expungement Clinic! Mentored by Pittsburgh Community Services Inc. (which runs the largest and most successful Pardon Hub west of Philly) and supported by the Private Industry Council, Westmoreland Community Action, and Laurel Legal Services, the clinic will offer a wide range of justice-related information and services to the citizens of that county. More on that in next month’s newsletter.

This month, we spotlight and thank Westmoreland County Community College for its enthusiasm in providing the pardon-related services. Led by Julie Zappone, Director of the WCCC’s paralegal program, and Stephanie Turin, Director of the Social Work Program, they and WCCC students will be on-site reviewing criminal histories with as many as 70 individuals, explaining the pardon process, and helping them with the two essays that the pardon application requires. The faculty and students received their Pardon Coach Training on September 27 from and PLSE’s Director of Special Projects Andrea Lindsay, MSW, and Pardon Project Director Tobey Oxholm.

“We’re excited and eager to go!” said Zappone. We’re excited too! (If you’re in an academic institution and would like to watch the training to decide if you can get involved in the Pardon Project, email us!)

Recently, PLSE has been connected to two branches of our City’s government that are providing critical services to Philadelphians all over: the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS); and the Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction (SUPHR) program. A part of the City’s Office of Health and Human Services, DBHIDS offers behavioral health care, intellectual disability supports and early intervention services in one comprehensive integrated system. SUPHR oversees issues related to substance use in Philadelphia, with a mission of preventing drug-related deaths and the potential harms associated with drug use. We advance programs and policies that promote the dignity, autonomy, and health of people who use drugs. PLSE will be working both agencies to promote access to justice and information about criminal record clearing for individuals impacted by substance use, particularly in Philadelphia’s most affected neighborhoods. Harm reduction takes all of us!

Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity has recently succeeded in having restitution waived for one of our clients. PLSE began asking the court to waive court costs in 2021. Those motions contained requests to waive supervision fees or costs, but could never include restitution because restitution was considered part of the sentence and therefore not waivable. Previously, PLSE argued successfully that any judge had the authority to waive court costs and that clients who are unable to pay should have their costs waived. In our most recent victory, Managing Attorney Sarah Coyle argued successfully that a client who owes restitution for public assistance act violations stemming from an overpayment of benefits should be relieved of her debt because the restitution was not being applied to a victim. Our client will now be eligible for a pardon to clear her record, and will no longer have to decide between paying for food and rent, or paying her restitution. This is a TERRIFIC win for our clients and all individuals living with the often devastating impact of contact with the criminal justice system.

This month, as every month, we reflect on the work of the Black Americans before us, who worked hard to build this country, while we look ahead to the work that remains to be done. What a privilege to build upon their sacrifice. Here at PLSE, every day we see both the foundation of the good work done before, right alongside the continued devastation of the impact of carceral systems built by systemic racism. We see these legacies reflected in the populations we serve: a full 65% of our client population identifies as a member of the Black diaspora. We are proudly Black serving and Black-led.

The Board of Pardons has set its schedule for 2023 into the first quarter of 2024, available on their website here. Pardon applications will be heard at public hearing three times this year: May 17-18, June 14-16, and September 13-15. The last public hearings of the year October 12-13, will be reserved exclusively for commutation applications.

Check out this interesting “Ask the Ethicist” in the New York Times from a reader whose friend is dating a person with a violent criminal record. The Ethicist’s advice? Follow the research: low recidivism rates for middle-aged men mean the reader is probably over-worrying. Read it here.

Copy everything! Whether you’re a pardon applicant working with PLSE, or you’re going it alone, be sure to make and keep a copy of everything you submit to the Board of Pardons, with date of submission! It’s a paper process, and with so many papers in the mix, it can never hurt to retain a copy of things for your own records!

“VP Kamala Harris and I share the same sentiments stated differently: Second chances, the act of forgiveness and redemption are not only biblical but necessary. What would the world look like if no one ever made a mistake, for its through mistakes that success is often achieved." From The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris: “Redemption is an age-old concept rooted in many religions. It is a concept that presupposes that we will all make mistakes, and for some, that mistake will rise to the level of being a crime. Yes, there must be consequences and accountability. But after that debt to society has been paid, is it not the sign of a civil society that we allow people to earn their way back?”

-Danea Langston-Banks

Ready to join the front lines of pardon and expungement work? One of our favorite community partners (just kidding- you’re ALL our favorite!), the Legal Aid Society of Southeastern Pennsylvania (LASP), has posted an attorney opening to help with their expungement and pardon work. The job posting and application instructions are available here. For more information, please contact: Erica Briant, Supervising Attorney, Community Engagement Unit, (484) 322-6474.

Every week at our team meetings, we discuss all the amazing things different members of our team have done lately- which is always a LONG list! We want to start sharing those amazing things with you! This month, the spotlight is shining on social work intern, Rufus Farmer. Joining us in September 2022, Rufus joins us from West Chester University where he is a BSW student. In just 5 short months, Rufus has worked on everything from parsing pardon data, to helping pardon clients, to assisting in the operation of our marijuana amnesty project, to revamping our online intake form to make it more accessible and inclusive for all of our clients. What a dynamo! Thanks Rufus, for giving our clients so much dedication and thoughtfulness!