LAIP is a Law School educational program in which law student earn course credit for assisting inmates in the Wisconsin State Prison System. LAIP has a limited student enrollment and very limited resources. Therefore, it has been necessary to set clear limits on the scope of the assistance provided by LAIP.
Requesting Assistance
LAIP provides assistance to inmates who are incarcerated in the Wisconsin State Prison System, other than correctional centers. LAIP also provides assistance to federal inmates incarcerated at FCI-Oxford and Oxford Prison Camp.
Our program prioritizes assistance to inmates who:
- Have 1-4 years of confinement time remaining
- Are focused on resolving sentencing and re-entry concerns
Applications
LAIP applications, as well as a copy of the LAIP Desk Book, are available on EdNet and in the law libraries at medium and maximum security institutions. Inmates requesting our assistance are encouraged to start with the LAIP Desk Book. After reviewing these materials, complete and return an application form to our office at the address on the form. The application can be found in Chapter 12 of the LAIP Desk Book.
Once LAIP receives an application, an intake specialist reviews the application, along with any materials provided with the application, and on-line court records where available, to determine what, if anything, our program can do to assist. If the LAIP intake specialist does not have enough information at this point, he or she will contact the inmate by phone or in person to discuss the case in more detail.
If the intake specialist believes that an inmate's concern is appropriate for referral to LAIP for more in-depth student assistance, the inmate's name will be placed on a wait list. Due to the large size of the wait lists and the limited availability of law students, it can take up to a year for an inmate who has been referred to meet with a law student.
Please be aware that LAIP does not provide assistance to individuals in the following situations:
- Inmates in minimum-security correctional centers in the Wisconsin Prison System;
- Inmates in county jails in Wisconsin;
- Patients in mental health centers in Wisconsin, including the Wisconsin Resource Center;
- Inmates in prisons or jails outside of Wisconsin;
- Individuals on probation or parole supervision; or
- Individuals who are not incarcerated.
In addition, our program rarely accepts cases related to post conviction review. Therefore, it is unlikely that our program will be able to assist an inmate with a post conviction review if:
- Inmate was older than 18 at the time of the conviction, and
- Inmate was sentenced more than 10 years ago
