Assisting individuals wrongly convicted of a crime in Philadelphia
An experienced criminal appeals attorney knows there are different types of appeals possible following a conviction. Pennsylvania state law and federal laws both give a convicted defendant the right to file appeals based on a variety of reasons. One such method of appeal is to file a petition under the Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA).¹ This type of appeal generally occurs after an initial appeal with the Pennsylvania courts is not successful. However, the PCRA petition is completely separate from a direct appeals with its own rules, deadlines, and regulations.

What is PCRA?

The Act provides a method for individuals who were wrongfully convicted of a crime or who believe that their sentence is unlawful to pursue collateral relief. You are eligible to file a PCRA petition if you have been convicted of a criminal offense and you are on probation or parole, you are currently serving a prison sentence, or you have received a death sentence. In order to obtain post-conviction relief, you must provide sufficient information that one of the following occurred in your criminal case:

• Your Constitutional rights were violated in such a manner that no reliable verdict could have resulted.


• You received ineffective assistance of counsel that prevented a reliable verdict from occurring.


• You were unlawfully induced or coerced into pleading guilty when you were actually innocent.


• Your right to direct appeal on a certain issue was unlawfully obstructed by a government official.


• Exculpatory evidence² that was not available at trial is now available and would likely
  change the result of your case.


• You received a sentence that was improper and unlawful for your offense (i.e., above the statutory maximum).


• The criminal court that entered your conviction did not have proper jurisdiction to do so.

As you can see, an appeal under the PCRA can have many complex legal issues, so it is always highly important to have an attorney handling your appeal who has a thorough understanding of Pennsylvania criminal appeals laws. Additionally, you only have one year (under most circumstances) to file a PCRA petition, so you do not want to delay in discussing your case with a criminal appeals lawyer as soon as possible.

Contact an experienced criminal appeals attorney for assistance today

If you have been convicted of a crime, you have a number of options on the appellate level. Post-conviction relief is only one method of attempting to fight your wrongful conviction. Discussing your case with an experienced criminal appeals lawyer in Philadelphia can help you explore your options and put together a quality, well-argued appeal for the best possible chance at having your conviction overturned. Please do not hesitate to contact the Zeiger Law Firm at (215) 825-5183 to discuss your case today.

¹http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=42&div=0&chpt=95
²http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exculpatory_evidence