Letter to Houston County, GA, Board of Commissioners

Letter relating to the termination of a chief public defender who raised ethical concerns about workloads.

Letter to Jefferson County, Alabama, Indigent Defense Advisory Board

“NAPD encourages the adherence to national standards when continuing to build the JeffersonCounty public defender’s office.”

Letter to U.S. House Judiciary Committee Supporting National Criminal Justice Commission and the National Center for the Right to Counsel

“We are submitting this letter in support of both the National CriminalJustice Commission Act and the National Center for the Right to Counsel Act.Passage of both of these bills, in our view, will be important in view of themany major […]

Letter to Louisiana House Judiciary Committee

Letter opposing proposed Capital Oversight Committee (LA HB 605).

Letter to U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Hearing on Misdemeanor Representation

“We write to thank you for holding the hearing on Wednesday, May 13on Protecting the Constitutional Right to Counsel for Indigents Charged withMisdemeanors and to file a post-hearing statement with the Committee. […]We followed the May 13 hearing closely, conferred […]

Letter to Maryland House Judiciary Committee

We, the undersigned officers of the National Association of Public Defense (NAPD), write in support of HB 1119. This legislation addresses the issue of excessive workloads which, along with insufficient resources, has been identified as the primary problem in public […]

Statement on the Necessity of Meaningful Workload Standards for Public Defense Delivery Systems

“NAPD believes the time has come for every public defense provider to develop, adopt, andinstitutionalize meaningful workload standards in its jurisdiction.”

Statement on Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice

“The deaths of two black men and a black child in Ferguson, New York City and Cleveland – and the lack of accountability for the white officers who killed them – have stirred our national conscience. We must now turn […]

Letter to New York Governor on Hurrell-Harring Lawsuit

As Governor, we ask that you lead your state and the nation in correcting this failure. It is for the good of all citizens of your state and will provide a clear message to the nation that New York is […]

Letter to U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics on Data Accuracy

“NAPD members were gratified to note the attention that your agency hasrecently shown to the levels of resources available to defenders across the nation (your reports numbered NCJ 246683 and NCJ 246684). Our members report to us frequently their dire […]