Tag Archives: Public defender

2016: The year of voting rights, public defenders, sentencing reform, and Albert Woodfox

 The Epicenter of Race, Voting, and Mass Incarceration New Orleans has always been a national news story. Northern parts of America probably understood the Free People of Color, prior to the Civil War, as much as they could understand contemporary … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary, Innocence, Legislation, Political Prisoners, Politics, Race, Reentry, Uncategorized, VOTE, Voting Rights | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

3 Reasons to Thank a Public Defender

This is the 50th Year of Gideon, which possibly means little to the majority of people in America- or so they believe.  Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court decided that American citizens have a right to a lawyer in court.  … Continue reading

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Does the Prosecution Rest? Changing the Narrative to Let Justice Be Done

The George Zimmerman trial is on my Facebook wall.  It is on TV at the gym.  Needless to say, from a guy who doesn’t have a TV: it is everywhere.  Because this case is one of the few high-profile cases … Continue reading

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New Report on Public Defenders: Again Missing the Mark

Back in February I posted about the fact that underfunded Public Defenders are a smokescreen for the real issue: underfunded prosecutors and courts cannot handle the number of crimes coming at them.  A new report by Justice Policy Institute, System … Continue reading

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Underfunded Public Defenders are Only 1/3 of The Equation

As state budget discussions heat up around the nation, each department will be fighting to keep their slice of the pie while a few will be bold enough to tout their need for expansion.  In a time of economic hardship … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary, Courts, Drug Policy, prison economics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments