This is a multi-state form covering the subject matter of the title.
This is a multi-state form covering the subject matter of the title.
As an incarcerated person (regardless of whether you are in state or federal prison), you can challenge your conviction or sentence by petitioning for a writ of habeas corpus in federal court. By petitioning for a writ, you are asking the court to determine whether your conviction or sentence is illegal.
The right to file a petition for writ of habeas corpus is guaranteed by the California constitution. In order to be eligible to petition for such relief, the petitioner must be “in custody,” either actually or constructively.
Typical examples where a court has granted a habeas corpus petition include claims of new evidence discovered in the case, ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, incompetence to stand trial, and challenging conditions of confinement.
There are two prerequisites for habeas review: the petitioner must be in custody when the petition is filed, and a prisoner who is held in state government custody must have exhausted all state remedies, including state appellate review.
Part D (“Procedures for Filing a Petition for Habeas Corpus”) explains the basic requirements of your habeas petition, including that you be in custody, have exhausted state remedies, are not in procedural default, have filed within the proper time limit, and that your petition is not successive.
A federal petition for writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 is used by a (1) state prisoner (2) being held in state custody (3) to challenge the validity of a state criminal conviction or sentence (4) for the purpose of obtaining release from custody.
State every ground (reason) that supports your claim that you are being held in violation of the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States. Attach additional pages if you have more than four grounds. State the facts supporting each ground. Any legal arguments must be submitted in a separate memorandum.
For example, if an individual was convicted on the basis that their skin color matched that of the perpetrator ing to eyewitnesses, but there is no other evidence against them, then the individual can appeal for habeas corpus in order to be freed from imprisonment.