Making a Fresh Start: The San Diego County Public Defender Grant Litigation Unit

• In Event: Realities of Second Look Sentencing Reforms in California

Abstract

Second-look sentencing has emerged as a new pathway for people to return to their communities in the face of previously long sentences. In California, recent Penal Code 1172 and AB 600 reforms resulted in incarcerated individuals’ potential eligibility to be released from prison. In response, the San Diego County Public Defender implemented the Fresh Start Unit to offer legal representation to these clients. The unit not only argues for reduced sentences on their client’s behalf but also engages in reentry planning that includes service referrals. This paper describes the public defender’s implementation of the Fresh Start unit and details current successes and ongoing challenges as the resentencing reforms are enacted.

Author

• Kaitlyn McCarthy, San Diego County Public Defender