Programs & Projects

We are an all-volunteer organization. We have 5 volunteer attorney mentors who train, mentor, and supervise advocates. The advocates are responsible for working directly with correspondents to meet identified needs and contacting prison or state officials. Many advocates have very little experience with the criminal system or CDCr’s many challenges, and are generally not attorneys. No experience with the criminal or legal system is required to become an advocate. We view this work as a partnership, where we utilize outside resources available to us, and you educate us about your experiences and knowledge of the prison system. We do not share personal information or contact prison officials on our inside-partners’ behalf without explicit permission. PAN does not charge for services. PAN will cover most, if not all, mail costs and fees for accessing records.

There is a huge need for advocacy work in CDCr, but we seek to work with people facing the worst conditions while still fighting for their and others’ rights. We only work with people in CDCr, not in other prison systems or jails. We prioritize people in any kind of isolation (including disciplinary, administrative, and gender-based segregation), jailhouse lawyers, those suffering retaliation as a result of their activism, and those with serious unmet medical needs. We also support family members of those on the inside who are also experiencing retaliation. PAN calls the individuals on the inside who we support correspondents.

Our volunteers are trained in advocacy strategies and can assist with: requesting C-FILE and medical records; performing basic legal, medical, or similar research; assistance with internal appeals; writing letters to the Warden, Ombudsman, medical staff, and Inspector General; classification issues especially related to solitary or ad-seg status; overturning wrongful 115s; property issues; help preparing for parole; psych reports; making copies; calling prison officials; keeping copies of documentation of prison abuses; and supplying resources and information.

Referrals often come through people on the outside who have direct contact with potential Correspondents. We have an intake form on our website that people can use to make referrals: Intake Form. We also have a paper intake form that people on the inside can fill out and mail to us in order to refer themselves or another person. If you would like an intake form, write to us at the address above and request one. We train and pair people twice a year (September and February). Occasionally, we are also able to match people during other months of the year. Due to the nature of the mail system, and because we usually review cases and match correspondents only twice a year, there will be delays in communication with PAN until you are matched.

For more information, read our brochure or contact pan@nlgsf.org.

Donate to PAN

Our work depends largely on individual donations. To support the work of PAN, please consider making a donation at: paypal.me/prisoneradvocacy.

The Immigration Court Observation Program (ICOP) trains law students and other volunteers to attend and observe detained immigration court bond and master calendar hearings and to document violations of immigrants’ due process rights. Observation is particularly needed now because many of the judges in San Francisco Immigration Court are recent appointees. Although immigration court hearings are open to the public, few people attend to observe these proceedings. There is no right to public counsel in immigration court with limited exceptions and, therefore, only 15% of immigrants in detention are represented by attorneys. This means that the vast majority of immigrants have no choice but to go up against the Department of Homeland Security attorneys on their own. By maintaining a constant presence in San Francisco Immigration Court, ICOP keeps pressure on judges to hold them accountable, helps make court hearings more transparent and identifies any needs and trends in immigration court that impact immigrants’ due process rights.

Ready to start volunteering as an immigration court observer?

Volunteering as an observer starts with requesting a training from us. Training includes an overview of immigration court proceedings and deportation/removal process, as well as important things to note while observing. Once trained, volunteers can immediately start attending immigration court hearings and submitting observation data.

If you’re part of a group or organization that would like to start sending observer teams to San Francisco court hearings, request a training to get started. Volunteers must commit to a minimum of weekly 3 hour observations, for 6-8 consecutive weeks.

Request an ICOP Training for your group or organization here.

Current ICOP observers

Submit ICOP Observation Sheets here

*Remember to submit one observation sheet per individual observed.