Reentry Legal Services
After someone has served their sentence, clearing a criminal record, resolving unpaid court fees, or restoring a suspended driver’s license can open the door to a job, a home, and a fresh start.
Is a past record, court debt, or a suspended license holding you back?
How we help
We help people reduce or eliminate court fines and fees, known as legal financial obligations (LFOs). With interest and collection fees added over the years, a few hundred dollars in fines from a past conviction can grow into thousands, and that debt can follow people for decades.
In some cases, people can vacate, or clear, past criminal convictions. They can then say on a housing or job application that they have never been convicted of a crime. This can make all the difference in finding a job or rental housing.
We help people convicted under Washington’s former drug possession law, which the state Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in 2021. These are now called Blake cases. We can get the conviction vacated and help recover any money paid related to the charges, including LFOs, attorney fees, and drug treatment fees. The process can be difficult, and people who try it without an attorney often run into roadblocks.
We help people get their driver’s licenses back so they can get to work, school, and appointments. We also challenge unfair barriers to housing and employment, such as landlords or employers who misuse background checks.
22%+
Average wage increase within one year for people whose past convictions were cleared from their record
Navigating disability benefits after being released from prison seemed impossible. NJP helped me navigate new beginnings. Now I can focus on rebuilding my life and spending time with my daughter. There are people who get out of prison and are back in two weeks because they just give up. They say, ‘I’m home, boys, I couldn’t do it.’ Not me.
John, NJP client
Legal Aid Matters
A steady job and a stable home are among the strongest foundations for a successful return to the community. But the process for clearing a record or reducing court debt is complicated, and most people who qualify never complete it. Legal aid closes that gap.
Research shows that people whose records are cleared have very low rates of new offenses, comparing favorably to the general population.
Chad’s Story
From jail to justice
“After learning about a chance to vacate my record of drug charges, I reached out to NJP for assistance. My attorney jumped into action. She and contract attorney Megan Yeates with the Office of Public Defense filed a petition to clear the charges and have thousands of dollars of Legal Financial Obligations refunded to me. We succeeded on both accounts. Thanks to NJP, I’ve received nearly seven thousand dollars back from the state and feel relieved to finally leave my past behind me.”
Case Study
Implementing the Blake Decision
Shannon Blake was convicted of felony drug possession after a friend loaned her a pair of jeans that had a small, nearly empty bag of methamphetamine in a tiny pocket. She didn’t know it was there, but she was convicted anyway. With the help of her attorney from Washington Appellate Project, she appealed. In 2021, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the state’s drug possession law was unconstitutional because it punished people who didn’t know they had drugs.
The ruling invalidated hundreds of thousands of convictions dating back decades. Everyone affected was entitled to have their conviction vacated and to receive refunds of money they paid in legal financial obligations (LFOs), for legal defense, or to complete their sentence, such as drug treatment or testing costs. Processing all those cases was a hugely daunting task.
The State realized it would take many people working together to process these “Blake” cases, and legal aid is a big part of that effort. At least four legal aid organizations — NJP, Civil Survival, Living with Conviction, and the Way to Justice — have been helping people vacate their Blake convictions and obtain the refunds they are owed.
The challenge of implementation
The process has not been smooth. Nothing like this has been done before in our state’s history, and there have been many challenges, red tape, and missteps. Legal aid has advocated for full justice for the people wrongly convicted. Legal aid organizations have brought several appeals to resolve outstanding issues, and NJP has joined in legal briefs to the court in support of those appeals.
NJP has advised the Court on the problems we see, the need for uniformity, and better ways to handle these cases. NJP has also worked with clerks, prosecutors, and judges to move cases through the system fairly and quickly and to obtain full refunds for Blake-affected people.
With the State’s budget shortfalls in the 2025–2027 biennium, there is less money for this work and for the refunds owed to people. The effort will take years more. NJP is in it for the long haul, because people whose constitutional rights were violated deserve to be made whole.
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