UnCommon Law

UnCommon Law is a California non-profit organization that has developed a therapeutic model to ensure a safe transition from prison for those convicted of violent crimes. Our mission is to radically transform the conversation about incarcerated persons until restoration through counseling and practical skills development becomes the norm. Our team of lawyers, social workers, student volunteers, and psychologists spends many hours with clients, helping them understand how their own victimization - through poverty, neglect, and physical and sexual abuse - contributed to their behavior toward others. We then provide legal representation when they become eligible for release on parole. Sixty percent of our clients are granted parole when they appear before California's parole board, compared to the statewide average of 20%. Our released clients save the state more than $10 million in incarceration costs every single year. To date, UnCommon Law has secured the release of over 170 clients who had been sentenced to life in prison. Many of them are now mentoring youth and giving back in countless ways to make sure that their release has a positive impact on their communities.