Are You Innocent?

California appellate attorney Kristen Mason and her firm, Mason Appellate Law, will be selecting one innocent California inmate to represent for free in an attempt to overturn his or her conviction.

Services to be Included:

The inmate selected will become a non-paying client of Mason Appellate Law and receive:

• Representation from attorney Kristen Mason in post-conviction relief that is appropriate.
• The hiring of a private investigator and/or expert witnesses, without cost to the client, to support the post-conviction relief sought.

If the firm is successful in overturning the conviction, the firm asks that the client share his or her experience with others.

How to Apply:

To apply for consideration:

• Submit a one-page letter that (a) briefly explains your case, including your CDCR number, the county where you were convicted, and your case number if you know it, and (b) lists what evidence shows your innocence and which items of evidence were discovered after your trial, if any.
• Have support letters sent to the Mason Appellate Law office where other inmates or family vouch for your innocence, stating “I know (your name) and I genuinely believe he/she is innocent. I ask that attorney Kristen Mason take on his/her case as the 2026 Free Innocence Case,” or something to that effect.

The individual selected will be listed by October 30, 2026, at: www.MasonAppeals.com/2026innocence

Selection Criteria:

Mason Appellate Law will select one (1) California inmate to represent and provide with the services listed above free of charge (see Services to be Included section, above).

The selection committee will choose the selected inmate based on the following criteria:

• Innocence: The individual must be innocent.
• Evidence: An individual with stronger evidence of innocence will be favored over an individual with weak evidence of innocence.
• Support: In the event of multiple individuals with strong evidence of innocence, the firm will select the inmate with the most support letters from other inmates.

Please note that Mason Appellate Law handles other cases that do not involve innocence, including improper sentences, rights violations at trial, invalid plea deals, etc., for paying clients, but this Free Case Contest is only for innocent individuals.

FAQ:

How will I know if I am selected?

If you are selected then we will notify you via mail and set up a confidential attorney call through the prison. We will not be directly notifying those who are not selected, although anyone will be able to view the selection results by October 30, 2026, at www.MasonAppeals.com/2026innocence, which will list the person selected.

Can I call or write a letter to find out more information?

No, unfortunately Mason Appellate Law does not have the staffing capacity to respond to the anticipated large volume of calls and letters related to the 2026 Free Innocence Case selection. The firm’s staff and attorneys are reserved for attending to the firm’s paying clients (with the one exception being the client selected as part of this project). Information about the 2026 Free Innocence Case can be found in this document or at www.MasonAppeals.com/2026innocence.

I hired the firm already (or plan on hiring the firm), so am I still eligible to apply?

Yes. The selection committee will select a free client based on the Selection Criteria section listed above, which means that a current client could potentially be selected. Current clients will not be advantaged or disadvantaged. If a current client is selected then their services will be upgraded to the services listed in the Services to be Included section, above, and all fees paid will be refunded, rendering their service free.

Can I find out who wrote letters of support for me?

The inmate who is selected for the free legal work will be notified of who wrote support letters, but we will not have staffing capacity to notify everyone else.