Write to us from prison

Women's Innocence Clinic · Free · For women convicted in U.S. courts

If you are in prison and want the forms to challenge your conviction or sentence, you can write to us. We print the forms for your state and mail them to you, free. We mail them the day we receive a complete request. After that, delivery depends on the mail and on your facility.

Family members: print this page and mail it to her, or fill in the online request form for her.

Where to write

Women's Innocence Clinic
4307 Regalwood Terrace
Burtonsville, MD 20866

What to send us

You can use the form on the next page, or write a short letter with the same information:

Your full legal name, as it appears on your prison records
Your prison ID or DOC number
Your facility's name and full mailing address
The state where you were convicted, or "federal court" if it was a federal conviction
The county and case number, if you know them
The date you were sentenced, and whether your appeal is still going, is over, or was never filed
Which forms you want

Please do not

Do not describe the facts of your case. We are not lawyers. Letters to us are not legal mail and are not private. Prison staff may read them, and what you write could be used against you.
Do not send original documents. We cannot return papers.
Do not send money. Everything we do is free, and we do not accept donations.

What the prison must give you for your case

If you cannot afford them, the prison must provide paper and pen to draft legal documents, a notary to authenticate them, and stamps to mail them, along with a law library or help from people trained in the law. Each prison's policy sets the details. Ask in writing and keep a copy. (Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817 (1977).)

What happens next

We read every letter ourselves. If your request is complete, we mail the forms you asked for the same day. If something is missing, we write back to ask before we mail. If your facility returns our mail, we will try to reach the family member you name.

We cannot tell you which form to file, whether your deadline has passed, or whether you have a case. Those questions need a lawyer or an innocence organization. The forms and guide we send explain the steps and the main deadlines. This is information, not legal advice.

Request for forms by mail

Mail to: Women's Innocence Clinic, 4307 Regalwood Terrace, Burtonsville, MD 20866. Do not write about the facts of your case.

Full legal name:

Prison ID or DOC number:

Facility name:

Facility mailing address:

State where convicted (or "federal"):

County and case number, if known:

Date sentenced, if known:

My appeal: is still going is over (date: ____________) was never filed

Forms I want:

State post-conviction petition

Federal habeas corpus petition

Sentence review (usually due within weeks of sentencing)

Sentence modification (usually due within months of sentencing)

Your plain guide to the process

A family member or friend we may contact (name and phone or email), optional:

Signature:Date:

Women's Innocence Clinic · womensinnocenceclinic.com · Free. We do not accept donations.