Category: Archive
New York Law Journal: New Yorkers Should Push for Police Accountability
“There’s another way that New Yorkers can push for police accountability–and it involves their elected district attorneys. This form of accountability comes from ‘suppression’ hearings.” Oded Oren, our criminal defense attorney, wrote an op-ed on how New Yorkers can push for police accountability through holding elected district attorneys responsible for their inactions. Suppression hearings held […]
New York Times: How to Make New York as Progressive on Criminal Justice as Texas
“They claim that there was a gun in the bag. When they tested the bag for fingerprints there were thirteen fingerprints on the bag, none of which matched my clients’. We ultimately won this trial but my client was this close to going to prison. Had we gotten this evidence before, we might have been […]
Harvard Law Review: The Effects of Holistic Defense on Criminal Justice Outcomes
This Article offers the first large-scale, rigorous evaluation of the impact of holistic defense on criminal justice outcomes. In the Bronx, New York City, a holistic defense provider (The Bronx Defenders) and a traditional defender (the Legal Aid Society) operate side-by-side within the same court system, with case assignment determined quasi-randomly based on court shift […]
City Limits: New Push to Provide Legal Advice to Parents Facing Abuse and Neglect Investigations
“People say, ‘Take my liberty but I want to keep my children,” says Emma Ketteringham, our Managing Director of the Family Defense Practice. Legal counsel is critical for parents undergoing investigation or in family court, especially when a child is at stake. Stella B. said she never had the opportunity to be properly investigated because […]
News 12: Lawyer calls for reform ahead of potential marijuana legalization
“There needs to be automatic expungement of criminal records because the racial disparity will continue to haunt people.” Eli Northrup, our Associate Special Counsel to Criminal Defense, talks about how it’s imperative to be intentional about equity for minorities as marijuana legalization becomes likely in 2019. Simply making it legal to possess and smoke marijuana […]
New York Times: A Woman’s Rights: Part 5 “The Mothers Society Condemns”
Our Emma Ketteringham and Erin Cloud spoke to The New York Times on how pregnant women with a history of drug use are mistreated, abused and criminalized for larger structural issues. “According to National Advocates for Pregnant Women, an advocacy and legal group, in just about every state, expectant mothers with a history or suspicion […]
Giants: A Bronx Tale: Giants tackle criminal justice reform
The New York Giants visited The Bronx Defenders’ office to discuss everything from mass incarceration to what sports’ role is in working toward justice. “We are well aware that there is a strong history of social activism in sports, but I will say as public defenders, this is the first time that we have seen […]
New York Law Journal: NYC Public Defenders, Not Assigned Counsel, to Get First Call in Homicide Cases
“There are some excellent 18-B attorneys and there are some people who aren’t as committed to handling their clients as they should be,” says Alice Fontier, Managing Director of the Criminal Defense Practice. “The Bronx sees an average of about 100 homicide cases annually. Fontier said that defense providers such as The Bronx Defenders can bring more […]
Audible: New Family Values
Our Mary Anne Mendenhall and her client Tina have a conversation on Audible’s “New Family Values” podcast. Hear them in Chapter 7: Protecting the Child, here.
DocumentedNY: Court Use of Video Teleconferencing Causes Case Slowdown
It has been five months since Immigration and Customs Enforcement has transported any immigrants to appear in person at the Varick Street immigration courts. This is taking a toll on our clients, their ability to fight their cases, and their right to due process. Our Sarah Deri Oshiro explains how some immigrants appear before a […]