Kaiser Pro Bono Client Wins Early Release After More Than 30 Years in Prison
Kaiser client Chester Wright will soon be a free man for the first time in over thirty years!
Chester, now 53 years old, was serving up to life in prison for a crime committed just three days after his 21st birthday. Kaiser attorneys Tony Miles and Noah Brozinsky began representing him pro bono in 2022, arguing that he should be released under Washington, D.C.’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA) and Second Look Amendment Act (SLAA) — relatively new laws that instruct courts to resentence defendants who have served at least 15 years of their sentence and were under 25 at the time of their alleged crimes if it is shown that they are not a danger to the community and that a sentence reduction is in the interest of justice.
Tony and Noah invested hundreds of hours interviewing witnesses, reviewing court and prison records, coordinating a psychological evaluation, drafting multiple briefs, and preparing Chester for his resentencing hearing. Kaiser paralegals Hannah Landry and Nick Cooper were instrumental to the effort, including coordinating witness logistics and collecting BOP records.
Tony and Noah successfully convinced the government and the court that Chester was deserving of early release based on the eleven factors within the statutes. Most notably, they showed that Chester is not a danger to the community and presented the court with a well-developed plan for Chester’s life after prison, including a job, housing, and lots of community support. Chester’s family and other supporters testified about the positive changes they’ve seen in his personality over the last thirty years and his efforts to better himself while in prison. Chester earned a GED and electrician’s certificate despite no practical belief he’d ever get to use them.
He was facing the possibility of the rest of his life in prison, but now Chester will be released in December 2024.
Chester will be welcomed home by his siblings, his children, and his grandchildren who are eager to embrace “Pop-pop” for the first time. He intends to begin working as soon as he’s released and looks forward to active participation in local programming for prison releasees. Tony, Noah, and the entire Kaiser team are thrilled for Chester and his family!
