LOS ANGELES – The Center for Juvenile Law & Policy (CJLP) at LMU Loyola Law School is pleased to announce that Sony Pictures Entertainment has committed $500,000 from the Sony Social Justice Fund to support the Collateral Consequences of Conviction Justice Project (CCCJP) in its continuing efforts to help clients reclaim their lives after incarceration.
The gift will help the CCCJP continue representing clients seeking to clear their records for purposes of employment, immigration, child support and professional licensing. Since its establishment in 2017, the CCCJP has successfully trained 52 law students – and future attorneys – to provide these services by supervising their representation of 420-plus clients in more than 1,200 re-entry issues.
“Sony wanted to make a real-life impact on anti-racism in our community. They hit the mark by supporting our students’ pro bono work expunging and sealing people’s records,” said Sean Kennedy, Kaplan & Feldman Executive Director of the CJLP, noting that the collateral consequences often have the most impact in disenfranchised communities.
In many instances, CCCJP clients are left with few employment prospects following convictions for low-level, non-violent crimes. This often exacerbates and perpetuates income disparities that already exist in communities of color, which are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system.
“People who are getting released from prison have a difficult time finding employment,” said CCCJP Director Elie Miller, a former public defender and in-house attorney at Homeboy Industries. “The CCCJP works with clients to prepare and file petitions seeking the dismissals of the clients’ eligible convictions. If the dismissal is granted, the clients can move forward to obtain employment.”
The CCCJP’s work, and Sony’s support of it, is manifested in the many clients who have already been served. “One bad mistake almost completely ruined my life,” said Curtis, a client whose name is shortened to protect his anonymity. “If you work to progress and change yourself, I feel like you should get a second chance. And that’s something that Loyola offers people like me.”
The gift is just the latest development in a long-running relationship between the CJLP, Sony and Tom Rothman, Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, whose support was critical to the 2018 launch of the CCCJP and the umbrella Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic.
“This is a great social justice partnership between Sony and LLS that offers immediate, practical help to struggling communities while advancing anti-racism efforts in L.A.,” said Kennedy.
About the Center for Juvenile Law & Policy
The Center for Juvenile Law & Policy (CJLP) at LMU Loyola Law School was created in 2004 to foster systemic reform of the juvenile justice system by participating in and encouraging research, discussion and advocacy in the field, and by developing policy initiatives for systemic change. It provides a place for stakeholders to meet and discuss issues in an atmosphere that promotes constructive cooperation. The CJLP comprises four clinics: the Juvenile Justice Clinic, which represents youth in the L.A. County juvenile justice system; the Youth Justice Education Clinic, which works to ensure that L.A. County youth receive the educational services to which they are entitled; the Juvenile Innocence & Fair Sentencing Clinic, which works on behalf of those sentenced to life in prison as youth; and the Collateral Consequences of Conviction Justice Project, which serves formerly incarcerated individuals who, having served their sentences, seek to successfully reenter society. Since its inception, the CJLP has trained more than 250 new attorneys and dedicated almost 80,000 pro bono hours to more than 500 children in 1,000-plus delinquency cases in L.A.’s neediest communities. Learn more at www.lls.edu/cjlp.
About LMU Loyola Law School
Located on an award-winning Frank Gehry-designed campus in downtown Los Angeles, LMU Loyola Law School is home to prominent faculty, dedicated students and cutting-edge programs. The law school strives to instill in students the knowledge they need to excel on their chosen paths. It dedicates itself to preparing students for the rigors of practice with an extensive portfolio of practical-training opportunities, a 19,000-strong alumni network and a focus on social justice. Learn more at www.lls.edu.
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Media contact:
Brian Costello
LMU Loyola Law School
Brian.Costello@lls.edu
310-902-9560 (cell)