Post-conviction relief/Definition

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An improvement in the situation of a person who was convicted of a crime; a legal process distinct from an appeal. There are many common kinds of relief, and some of them (such as having the conviction invalidated because new evidence shows the convict did not commit the crime) are available only to a convict who was found guilty at a trial, while others (such as challenging the conditions of confinement because of prison over-crowding) are also available to persons who pled guilty and so waived having a trial.