Pro Bono Client Secures Release From Prison Under D.C.’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act

Paul, Weiss achieved a significant victory for a pro bono client, securing his release from prison under Washington, D.C.’s, Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA), after he served more than 30 years of a life sentence. The IRAA allows people who committed a crime before the age of 25 and who have served at least 15 years in prison to petition for a sentence reduction.

Despite our client’s exemplary prison record for nearly two decades and substantial evidence of rehabilitation, the trial court denied our client’s petition in December 2022. We appealed, and in August 2024, the D.C. Court of Appeals vacated and remanded for further proceedings. The court found that the lower court had failed to properly examine crucial evidence of our client’s rehabilitation and low risk of recidivism, including unrebutted expert testimony from a former federal prison warden.

On remand, we submitted an additional round of briefing and a supplemental expert report. The same trial judge who initially denied our client’s petition changed his mind and reduced our client’s sentence to time served, finding that the expert testimony and our client’s ongoing commitment to rehabilitation and clean disciplinary record weighed in favor of release.

Litigation associate Braeshaun Dozier argued the appeal and led the briefing on remand. The Paul, Weiss team also included litigation partner Paul Brachman and counsel Justin Lerer.