District Attorney
Post Conviction Review Unit (PCRU)

The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office (SJCDA) is committed to ensuring fairness, protecting public safety, and promoting justice. In pursuit of these goals, we must always seek the truth and justice, even after a conviction occurs. The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office seeks to accomplish these goals through the work of a unit designed to review post-conviction issues.

Accordingly, on January 1, 2019, the SJCDA created a Post-Conviction Review Unit (PCRU). The PCRU was created to address several laws and appellate court cases that have greatly expanded the post-conviction relief available to California defendants. These areas include,

• Conviction Review (Innocence and Wrongful Conviction Claims)
• Sentence Review (Discretionary District Attorney Recall & Resentencing Petitions -Assembly Bill 2942)
• Accomplice liability for murder under either theory of felony murder or "natural and probable consequences" (Senate Bill 1437)
• Habeas Corpus in Special Circumstances Cases (People v Banks)
• Habeas Corpus in Capital Cases (Proposition 66)
• Personal Firearm Use Resentencing Hearings (Senate Bill 620)
• Serious Felony Prior Resentencing Hearings (Senate Bill 1393)
• Reduced Crimes Resentencing (Proposition 47)
• Marijuana Legalization (Proposition 64 and Senate Bill 1793)
• Youthful Offender Sentencing Hearings (People v. Franklin)
• Early Parole Eligibility & Release (Proposition 57)

Some of the above provisions for relief laws allow inmates to either directly petition the District Attorney or the courts without the need to use the normal writs and appeals process. Below are the forms and instructions for these types of relief.

To learn more about claims of innocence and the Conviction Review Process and Procedure:

For requests to review a case based on an actual innocence, please fill out the form below:

To learn more about Sentence Review [Assembly Bill 2942 -Discretionary District Attorney Recommendation for Recall and Resentencing; Pen. Code § 1170 (d)(1)]:

For requests to review a case for Discretionary District Attorney Recommendation for Recall and Resentencing under Assembly Bill 2942, please fill out the form below:

To learn more about Senate Bill 1437 and the felony-murder rule:

For petitions seeking resentencing under Senate Bill 1437 (Penal Code section 1170.95 ) please fill out the two forms below:

The Post-Conviction Review Unit is an independent section of the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office staffed by experienced attorneys who review each claim to determine whether the petitioner is entitled to the requested relief.

Upon completion mail to: