NACDL has long advocated for relief for individuals serving overly harsh sentences. The results of its advocacy are evident as states across the nation and political spectrum are now recognizing the human, economic, and social costs of these policies, and have enacted reforms. However, most of these reforms are not applied retroactively, thus leaving behind individuals already serving substantial sentences. The only avenue for those left languishing in America’s prisons is back-end relief such as clemency and compassionate release. 

The impact of the United States criminal legal system does not end at the prison walls. There is a vast network of life-altering consequences millions who interact with the criminal legal system. As identified in the 2019 Shattering the Shackles of Collateral Consequences report, these penalties include restrictions on employment, housing, voting, and other opportunities. While some states have implemented mechanisms for the sealing or expunging criminal records, most are not automatic. 

NACDL’s Return to Freedom Project (R2F) helps those languishing in prison by partnering with different organizations to recruit, train, and support pro bono volunteers on clemency, compassionate release, and expungement. There are powerful advocates in every state fighting on behalf those left behind, and the R2F partners with these groups to support and amplify their work. 

The R2F unites projects such as the Excessive Sentence Project, the Trial Penalty Clemency Project, the Cannabis Justice Initiative, and other clemency and compassionate release efforts under a single banner at NACDL. 

Since the launch of the NACDL/FAMM State Clemency Project in 2017, the Return to Freedom Initiatives have:

• Recruited 2,050 volunteers from 500 firms and other organizations,
• Received 9,500 applications for assistance,
• Placed 1,250 cases with firms,
• Filed 1,295 petitions and motions for relief with our Federal/state/local public defender partners,
• Regained freedom for 248 individuals,
• Reduced sentences by 1,425 years, and
• Freed 32 Lifers (or life equivalent).