Senate Bill 5046 in the 2023 Legislature provides limited funding for appointment of counsel to represent indigent clients filing personal restraint petition.
To qualify for representation under this project, applicants must be seeking to file a first petition. The petition must also be timely (within one year from the entry of judgment and sentence or, if appealed, on year from the date of mandate).
Priority will be given to applicants who are under age 25, have a sentence longer than 120 months, have a disability that interferes with their ability to file a personal restraint petition on their own, or have limited ability to read or write English.
To apply
- Application Form [PDF]
- Programa posterior a la condena- Formulario de Solicitud de Cese de la Privación de Libertad [PDF]
- Application Form Instructions [PDF]
Friends, family, and attorneys may fill out and submit the form on behalf of the applicant.
Send applications and questions to:
- Email: postconviction@opd.wa.gov , or
- Mailing Address: PO Box 40957, Olympia, WA 98504-0957
- Phone: 360-586-3164 x. 186
Due to limited funding, we will be able to appoint counsel for only a small number of applicants. We strongly encourage applicants to prepare to file their own personal restraint petition if possible.
Self-Help Resources and Training:
• Frequently Asked Questions-12/2022 [Video]
• Centering the Client Experience-6/2022 [Video | Material]
• An Overview CLE- 3/2022 [Video | Materials]
• Washington Supreme Court-Personal Restraint Petitions- 2022 [PDF]
• Avoiding PRP Pitfalls- 12/2021 [Video | Material]