A New Standard of Wrongness – When Police Have No Accountability

"You are saying an arrest without probable cause is a misconduct-in-office charge — is a crime?" Judge Williams asked. "So you say if you arrest someone without probable cause, it's a crime?" " Yes," the prosecutor responded.   YES! YES! And […]

Public Defenders: Noble Warrieors, Often Maligned

In my novel, Gideon’s Children, there are numerous scenes that depict judicial bias against Public Defenders, several of which lead to vitriolic confrontations, the ugliest of which occurred as follows: “‘What’s the matter, Jew-boy, jigaboo-lover,’ Judge Steiggerman snarled out through a […]

Standing in Cold Solidarity with My Client

It was a cold, windy day in Rochester which found me standing unprotected in the middle of a sudden snow burst, slamming wet, frigid snowflakes against my exposed skin.  Sitting in his parked patrol car across the street, was a city […]

Statement from the Attorneys of Color Caucus of the Association (ACLA) of New York Legal Aid Attorneys

When NYPD officer Peter Liang was convicted of manslaughter for shooting an unarmed man in a stairwell in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn District Attorney recommended a sentence of probation.  When poor people enter the subway without paying, the same District Attorney’s […]

Do you Use a Certified Forensic Nurse for Your Shaken Baby Syndrome Cases?

Many criminal defense attorneys are starting to realize the benefits of utilizing a certified forensic nurse to evaluate their criminal cases. The certified forensic nurse is a registered nurse who has undergone specialized training in the area of forensics. This […]

Criminal Justice is a Community Issue

The Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office (CLO) was dedicated in May 2003, the same year that marked the 40th Anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainwright. After operating the office in a traditional manner for […]

Pinellas & Pasco County Public Defenders Support Broad Range of Services for Clients

Imagine thinking that everyone else hears voices telling them to do different things. Imagine your family members all tell you that is what they hear too. Now imagine those voices have you do things to others and to yourself that […]

Reentry: The First 72 Hours+

When I was in prison I would always see the guys released come back, and I would ask them, "what happened?" They would always tell me that they didn't have any place to live at. I was in the same […]

Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office Fresh Start Clinic

Imagine spending your adult life, regretting crimes that you committed as a teenager or young adult.  Imagine applying for jobs that you truly want, being tested, passing the tests, going to interviews over and over and all of that going […]

Richland County Public Defender’s Office Juvenile Holistic Re-entry Program

In South Carolina, the 3-year recidivism rate for youth who are prosecuted and found guilty is 70.6|PERCENT|. A significant contributing factor to this has been a lack of reintegration supports for youth upon release. Juvenile offenders face a number of […]