Begin with a master chronology
Create a dated list beginning with investigation and charging, then plea or trial, sentencing, appeal, every post-conviction filing, custody transfers, disciplinary events, programming, medical developments, and release-planning milestones.
For each entry, identify the source. A chronology should distinguish what a court found, what a party alleged, what a witness stated, and what remains unverified.
Collect the official court record
Start with the docket, charging document, plea agreement or verdict, written judgment, transcripts, sentencing submissions, exhibits, appellate briefs, decisions, mandates, post-conviction petitions, and orders. Keep the complete document, not a screenshot or isolated page.
Name digital files consistently by date, court, document type, and docket number. Preserve the original and work from a copy.
Reconcile discovery and counsel files
Discovery may include reports, recordings, photographs, laboratory material, witness statements, warrants, digital extractions, and correspondence. Compare any production index against the files actually received and record what appears missing.
Do not assume that a missing family copy proves the item was withheld in court. The counsel file, docket, hearing record, and discovery correspondence may be necessary to determine what occurred.
Build the human record too
For sentence relief or clemency, preserve educational records, work evaluations, certificates, disciplinary history, treatment, medical documentation, letters, family responsibilities, release housing, employment prospects, and community support.
The goal is a source-controlled case file that allows a reviewer to move from a claim to the exact supporting document while still understanding the person and family behind the paperwork.