Boston College Law School gives its students a wide range of classes to take that are taught by some of the best scholars in the field. Yet, while learning about the law in a classroom is crucial to becoming a successful attorney, nothing prepares you for day-to-day practice more than getting hands-on experience before graduating. That’s where BC Law’s clinics come in.

Law students in their second and third years of study can apply for coveted spots in any of the school’s fifteen clinics. No matter what someone’s legal interest is, there’s a clinic for them! To help students better understand the opportunities available to them, the BC Law Impact Blog is highlighting each of these clinics this semester. Here is our interview with the director of the Compassionate Release and Parole Clinic, Frank Herrmann.

Tell us about your clinic!

Prisoners who have become eligible for parole after serving at least fifteen years in prison on life sentences (“lifers”) often appear before the Massachusetts Parole Board without representation. Students help prepare these individuals for their parole release hearings, and even represent them at the hearings. Representation includes learning about a client’s life before the underlying crime; the facts of the underlying crime; the client’s institutional history; any of the client’s physical, medical, or mental health conditions; and the client’s risk to re-offend. Ordinarily, students learn about all of the above during visits with their clients in prison, though contact with clients is also sometimes conducted via Zoom and telephone due to COVID-19. Additionally, students prepare memoranda in support of parole, including re-entry plans that they draft with the help of social work students.

What makes the Compassionate Release and Parole Clinic unique?

This clinic introduces students to the realities of the carceral world. Students also learn the life-stories of their clients, including their familial upbringings, education levels, social and community environments, involvement in criminal activity, rehabilitative efforts, and plans for their futures. No other courses offer this in-depth window into the lives of incarcerated persons.

Does the Compassionate Release and Parole Clinic have any exciting success stories to share?

Yes, we certainly do have success stories! Through their advocacy, students have succeeded in obtaining parole for many persons who were incarcerated for anywhere from fifteen to fifty-two years. These clients have since gone on to live very productive lives in society. Several of our paroled clients have successfully enrolled in colleges, and some have become leaders in legislation for prison reform.

What do you love most about directing the Compassionate Release and Parole Clinic?

Working closely with students paired in teams of two or three allows me to collaborate closely with the students. Not only does this help me get to know my students well, but it also allows each clinic cohort to create a mutually supportive environment for the sake of persons who have no one to speak on their behalf.

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Tess Halpern is a third-year student and president of the Impact blog. Contact her at halperte@bc.edu.