Newly Updated Second Edition Now Available!

Paperback, 275 pages. Written by Brandon Sample and Alissa Hull; edited by Susan Schwartzkopf 

Prison Legal News Publishing (2016). ISBN 978-0-9819385-4-7

The Habeas Citebook is a nifty and concise self-help guide for prisoners seeking habeas relief based on claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. Navigating the complex and treacherous terrain of habeas law is never easy; but claiming that your lawyer screwed up is even more difficult - especially from the confines of an ill-equipped prison law library.

But Brandon Sample has provided an amazing and much-needed tool for prisoners who are forced to seek relief on their own. The book is thorough, but simple and readable. It starts with a wonderfully well-organized listing of hundreds of different types of ineffective assistance of counsel, set forth in the form of citations to court rulings - a novel approach that not only acts as a springboard for further research but also saves the prisoner countless hours of preliminary research.

The book is also practical and useful. It provides invaluable resources, including templates and forms, that explain what, when, where and how to file for habeas relief. It contains readable summaries of the relevant laws and rules and plain-English explanations of some of the inherently mystifying concepts of habeas law, such as “procedural default” and “certificates of appealability” and the “AEDPA.” It includes practical advice on what to do and what not to do on issues such as identifying and selecting the claims to be argued; seeking discovery and evidentiary hearings; and seeking the appointment of counsel. And the book consistently offers critical insights on winning court strategies.

In short, the Habeas Citebook is an essential resource for any would be jail-house lawyer.

Peter Schmidt,
Publisher
Punch & Jurists

ISBN-10: 0981938515
ISBN-13: 978-098193851