Harris County Pretrial Project (HCCPP)

The Harris County Capital Pretrial Project, partially funded by a two-year Equal Justice Works fellowship, is introducing a new capital defense methodology to local attorneys.  This new method has been very successful in specialized capital trial offices, but has never been used in places like Houston where most attorneys are solo practitioners.  In its first year, the Pretrial Project has had perfect record – all of the cases we have worked on have either been dismissed, pleaded to life sentences or ended in life sentences after trial. Read More

Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program (MCLAP)

The Mexican government established the Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program (MCLAP) to protect the rights of Mexican citizens who are facing the death penalty in the United States. Through MCLAP, Danalynn Recer is one of ten attorneys throughout the county retained by the government of Mexico to represent that nation's interest in both trial and post-conviction capital cases involving Mexican nationals. GRACE's consulting work for MCLAP is focused primarily upon tracking and monitoring capital cases of involving Mexican nationals, providing assistance in finding bilingual mitigation specialists and other experts, and litigating issues of international law.

Golden Hour Project

As part of the MCLAP, GRACE has begun a new project designed to provide services directly to local defense attorneys defending Mexican citizens in capital cases during the "Golden Hour" - the period between arrest and the state's decision to seek death in a capital case.  During this critical period many appointed defenders are not otherwise provided with resources to develop mitigation.  The aim of the project is to insure that defenders are able to present the state with reasons against seeking death. These services are often not currently fully funded by the courts, though they can completely change the picture of the case and are sometimes lifesaving.  We have hired John Fox, formerly a Jesuit Volunteer here at GRACE, to begin implementing this project.  John now works as a record collection specialist, requesting and reviewing records for capital cases, a vital task that can make a huge difference in capital cases.  Matthew Silverman, one of our newest employees, has also begun work on the project; collecting records, interviewing clients, and communicating with lawyers and investigators

Innocence Project

George Rodriguez was convicted of a rape that he did not commit in 1987. His conviction was obtained through faulty scientific evidence. Read More