chanta.parker

Beginning November 30, 2016, Chantá Parker will be the Special Counsel for New Initiatives at the Innocence Project where she will lead the development of strategies to use the unique lens of innocence to address three problems: racial bias in the criminal justice system; the growing crisis in indigent defense and how this inflated system forces even the innocent to plead guilty to misdemeanors. Chantá leaves her assignment as a Supervising Attorney in the Criminal Defense Practice of the Legal Aid Society. Previously, Chantá was a staff attorney with the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and the Orleans Public Defenders. Chantá is a graduate of Spelman College and the New York University School of Law. Currently, Chantá serves on the board of the Law Alumni of Color Association of the NYU School of Law and will join the board of the Essie Justice Group in January 2017. Chantá also serves as a trainer with Gideon’s Promise. Chantá uses music to sooth her soul and energize her body for the journey.