Sustain Progress; Make Additional Improvements: NAPD Harris County Misdemeanor Assessment Report

  An NAPD Assessment of the Harris County (Houston) misdemeanor system of representation has been released. It was conducted at the request of Harris County pursuant to a November 21, 2019 Consent Decree in ODonnell et al v. Harris County, Texas No. 16-cv-01414 (S.D. […]

Torres v. Madrid: Application of physical force to a person with intent to restrain is a Fourth Amendment “seizure,” even if the person doesn’t submit and escapes

The application of physical force to the body of a person with intent to restrain is a Fourth Amendment “seizure” even if the person does not submit and escapes, the U.S. Supreme Court held March 25 in Torres v. Madrid.   […]

NAPD Newly Appointed Executive Director Lori James-Townes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) is thrilled to announce that its new Executive Director is Lori James-Townes. Lori is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s in Social Work. She has spent the vast […]

NAPD Releases Principles of Sustainabiliity

These principles were developed collaboratively by a group of members working to plan NAPD’s wellness-related training and support. They were approved by the NAPD Steering Committee at its meeting on February 18, 2021. Working as a Public Defender can be […]

Space, equipment, communication and supporting services for public defense must be professional for meaningful representation of clients

NAPD has adopted a Policy Statement on Proper Professional Space, Equipment, Confidential Communications with Clients, Supporting Services for Public Defense. The meaningful representation of public defense clients requires proper professional space, adequate supporting equipment, ability to conduct confidential communications, and […]

Active Supervision is a Hallmark of a Client- Centered Public Defense System

Active supervision is a hallmark of a client-centered public defense system: NAPD adopts comprehensive policy statement on providing active supervision NAPD has adopted a policy detailing the critical importance of active public defense supervision.  According to the Policy, all public defense […]

Black Lives Matter: NAPD’s Commitment to Transformational Change

Yesterday, public defenders from across the country took to the streets and raised their collective voices in support of Black lives and in opposition to police violence, oppression, inequity and state-sponsored terror.  To be clear, public defenders are in a […]

NAPD Releases New National Standard for Public Defense Staffing

We know good lawyering makes a difference. It’s why we do this important work for our clients. But lawyers can’t do what is needed for clients without robust assistance from a team of professionals supporting the representation. Increasingly, client representation […]

NAPD Issues Call to Action for the Independence of Public Defense Leaders and Programs

(May 27, 2020) – As the nation’s public defenders, we issue an urgent Call to Action.   Many public defense systems suffer from persistent excessive workloads, understaffing, and practices that do not ensure constitutional representation to all clients.    A […]

NAPD Sends Letter to Montgomery County Commissioners in Wake of Firing of Dean Beer and Keisha Hudson

The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) is an organization of over 22,000 public defenders and other public defense professionals, including over 110 organizations from around the country. NAPD stands in solidarity with public defenders everywhere and with the clients […]