Seattle Clemency Project

What Seattle Clemency Project does

Seattle Clemency Project (SCP) is a 501c3 nonprofit legal services organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that connects individuals serving long or life sentences — and immigrants facing deportation due to old criminal convictions — with free, high-quality pro bono legal representation. Its core service portfolio includes the Early Release From Prison Program (clemency, prosecutor-initiated resentencing, and pre-1984 parole review), Juvenile Board Representation for individuals sentenced as youth, and Immigrant Post-Conviction Relief delivered in partnership with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and the Khmer Anti-Deportation Advocacy Group. These are supported by a Reentry & Mentoring Program that provides transition planning, financial empowerment coaching, and bi-weekly mentoring groups for released clients. The organization publishes narrative and academic outputs, including the 'On Redemption' book and research reports such as 'Left Behind.'

SCP has no proprietary technology platform; its delivery model is fundamentally community-led and built on a network of more than 200 volunteer lawyers recruited from Washington private law firms, in-house corporate legal departments (notably Perkins Coie, Foster Pepper, Stritimmer Law, Davis Wright Tremaine, and the Gates Foundation), and solo practitioners, augmented by University of Washington Law, Societies & Justice student volunteers. There are 7 named staff members plus a 10-person Board of Directors, with the organization operating from two Seattle offices. Revenue comes entirely from charitable donations, foundation and corporate grants, fellowship sponsorships (Equal Justice Works), and Community Reinvestment grant funds administered by Washington's Office of Civil Legal Aid. Given its nonprofit structure and Washington-only operating scope, SCP's strategic position rests on its pro bono ecosystem, lived-experience staff credibility, and regulatory relationships rather than scalable technology.

Name

Seattle Clemency Project

Legal name

Seattle Clemency Project

Website

https://seattleclemencyproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Seattle Clemency Project is a 501c3 nonprofit that matches individuals seeking early release from Washington prisons and immigrants facing deportation due to old convictions with free pro bono legal representation, supported by a 200+ volunteer lawyer network and a reentry mentoring program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services / Criminal Justice Reform

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH), Workforce Reentry Programs (Justice-Involved) (EDAAAOAG)

Keywords

• Pro bono legal services
• Clemency representation
• Post-conviction relief
• Reentry support services
• Juvenile parole advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Kent

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: SCP operates as a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The primary revenue stream is charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Donations support staff, programming efforts, and reentry services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Seattle Clemency Project matches individuals serving life or long sentences and immigrants facing deportation due to old criminal convictions with free, high-quality pro bono legal representation. The organization recruits, trains, and matches volunteer attorneys with clients to pursue clemency, prosecutor-initiated resentencing, juvenile parole, and post-conviction relief, while also providing reentry mentoring and publishing research on sentencing reform.

Product overview

Seattle Clemency Project is a nonprofit legal services organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs focused on early release from incarceration and post-conviction relief. The core services include the Early Release From Prison Program (matching clients with pro bono attorneys for clemency and resentencing), Juvenile Board Representation (for those convicted as juveniles), and Immigrant Post-Conviction Relief (preventing deportations). These are supported by the Reentry & Mentoring Program providing holistic transition support, and Pro Bono Attorney Matching that recruits and trains volunteer lawyers. SCP also publishes the book 'On Redemption' and various academic research reports on sentencing reform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Release From Prison Program Matches individuals serving life or long sentences with free pro bono legal representation to seek early release through clemency, prosecutor-initiated resentencing, and pre-1984 parole review processes. For people incarcerated in Washington State who have demonstrated rehabilitation and exhausted their appeals.
• Juvenile Board Representation Provides free legal representation to individuals who were convicted as juveniles and are seeking early release through the Washington State Juvenile Parole Board process. For youth formerly sentenced as adults to life or long terms.
• Immigrant Post-Conviction Relief Partners with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Khmer Anti-Deportation Advocacy Group to provide legal assistance to immigrants facing deportation due to decades-old criminal convictions, helping them obtain pardons and restore lawful permanent resident status.
• Reentry & Mentoring Program Provides holistic reentry and transition support to clients, including comprehensive reentry planning, connection to service providers, financial empowerment coaching, and bi-weekly mentoring group sessions. For formerly incarcerated individuals transitioning back to the community.
• Pro Bono Attorney Matching Recruits, trains, and matches volunteer attorneys with clients seeking early release, providing support throughout the clemency, juvenile parole, and resentencing representation process. For Washington attorneys willing to provide pro bono legal services.
• On Redemption (Book) A book published by SCP featuring sixteen stories of resilience, atonement, and mercy, offering a narrative perspective on second-look pathways in Washington State. Proceeds support SCP operations. Suggested donation of $30.
• Research and Policy Reports Academic publications and reports including 'Left Behind: Juveniles and Emerging Adults Serving Long and Life Sentences,' prosecutor-initiated resentencing analyses, sentencing reform studies, and juvenile parole project reports.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25 people placed with volunteer lawyers per year from 300+ applicants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership began in 2018 to provide post-conviction relief for individuals facing deportation due to decades-old criminal convictions. NWIRP provides immigration law expertise in joint cases with SCP.
• Khmer Anti-Deportation Advocacy GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to obtain legal assistance for Khmer immigrants facing deportation due to old criminal convictions. Supports keeping families intact in their communities.
• Washington Defender AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the Redemption Project of Washington, providing free direct representation to immigrants seeking post-conviction relief. Supported by Community Reinvestment grant funds.
• University of Washington Law, Societies & Justice DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJuvenile Parole Project allows UW LSJ students to volunteer on early release petitions paired with pro bono attorneys. Students help generate community support narratives, develop reentry plans, and conduct legal visits.
• Perkins CoiecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPro bono attorneys from Perkins Coie represent clients including Dennis who was released through juvenile parole process.
• Foster Pepper PLLCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPro bono attorney Joanne Kalas of Foster Pepper PLLC represented Sophy, successfully pardoning his criminal conviction and restoring his LPR status.
• Stritimmer LawcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPro bono attorney from Stritimmer Law represented Alan Phetsadakone, achieving his release from immigration custody.
• Davis Wright TremainesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAssociate Rachel Herd from Davis Wright Tremaine provided pro bono representation. Former SCP Board Member.
• Gates FoundationsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVolunteer lawyer Aline Flower of the Gates Foundation represented Jerry Davenport, achieving his sentence commutation.
• Seattle Preparatory SchoolsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents interviewed SCP clients for panel discussion on second chances and access to justice.
• MemoryFoxsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCP featured as case study in MemoryFox's 2024 Ethical Storytelling Report.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Restore Oakland: Oakland-based reentry legal services and small-business incubator for formerly incarcerated individuals, founded by policy advocate Lateefah Simon. Comparable reentry-plus-legal-services model, smaller in scale and focused on a narrower geographic and demographic niche.

Direct peers

• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP): Seattle-based legal services organization providing immigration representation to low-income immigrants in Washington State. SCP's core immigration partner since 2018 for post-conviction relief cases; materially comparable nonprofit legal-aid operating model serving overlapping client populations.
• A New Way of Life Reentry Project: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing housing, legal services, and reentry support to women transitioning from incarceration. Directly comparable in providing post-conviction legal aid plus holistic reentry services, though focused on a different demographic and geography.
• Center for Community Alternatives (CCA): New York-based nonprofit operating alternative-to-incarceration, reentry, and victim-services programs alongside legal representation. Comparable operating model combining direct legal aid for justice-involved individuals with community-based reentry support.
• The Fortune Society: New York City nonprofit supporting formerly incarcerated individuals through direct legal services, housing, education, and advocacy. Highly comparable in combining post-conviction legal assistance with comprehensive reentry programming and education.
• Root & Rebound: California-based nonprofit providing direct legal services to people facing reentry from incarceration, including record-cleaning, post-conviction relief, and advocacy on sentencing reform. Closest functional peer to SCP in the reentry legal-services nonprofit model.

Broad incumbents

• Equal Justice Initiative: Bryan Stevenson's national nonprofit addressing mass incarceration, wrongful conviction, and excessive sentencing through litigation, advocacy, and community education. Operates a broader mandate than SCP, but directly comparable in its focus on clemency, post-conviction relief, and racial equity in criminal justice.
• The Sentencing Project: National research and advocacy organization promoting sentencing reform, reduced incarceration, and alternatives to imprisonment. Highly comparable mission around second-look review, juvenile parole, and excessive-sentence reform, though it operates primarily through policy/advocacy rather than direct legal representation.
• Innocence Project: National nonprofit using DNA and post-conviction litigation to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals. Adjacent peer sharing the post-conviction relief and criminal-justice-reform mission and the model of mobilizing pro bono legal talent.

Regional players

• Community Legal Services (Philadelphia): Pennsylvania-based legal aid organization providing free representation across civil legal needs including reentry-related record sealing and post-conviction work. Comparable nonprofit legal-aid operating model but serves a different geography and broader civil legal needs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/seattleclemency
• Facebookfacebook.com/seattleclemencyproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seattleclemencyproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Seattle Clemency Project