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Redefining public defense.

The Bronx Defenders In the News

She Knows: 4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Demand Justice for George Floyd

“In particular, donating to bail funds allows organizations to do crucial work to provide justice to people who may be incarcerated because they cannot afford cash bail. Activists are also working to ensure that cash bail is not codified as part of the prison system. Other organizations to which you can donate: The Atlanta Solidarity Fund, the Bail Project, the Brooklyn Bail…

New York Daily News: Living with lupus in the time of Trump

“When Trump promoted this drug in March, people all over the world rushed to take it. There was an immediate shortage of the drug. Now that he claims to be on hydroxychloroquine, it will likely spark a new run on the pills, which will directly jeopardize my own health by making it harder for me to…

CityLimits: City’s Courts Seen Lacking in Interpreters

“The situation is complicated when these organizations cannot pay for private simultaneous translation services and the lawyers are not bilingual. If a defendant is in custody, “you can’t talk to the person if you don’t know the language,” explains Alice Fontier, director of criminal practice at The Bronx Defenders. So for those who can’t make…

Talk Poverty: Coronavirus Could Cost Parents Custody of Kids in Foster Care

“In some states, like New York and California, there have been no official statewide orders cutting off all in-person visitation; instead agencies have been directed to make decisions on a case-by-case basis. But those on the ground say this is still leaving many parents without a voice in the decision-making process. Despite state-level guidance that…

Revolt: Lil Tjay partners with The Bronx Defenders to support inmates amidst pandemic

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, low-income black and brown communities like the Bronx have been hit the hardest,” Bronx Defenders Executive Director Justine Olderman said in the release. “This is a community that depends heavily on public transportation, encompasses countless essential workers and is over criminalized into a legal system that crams people into jail…

Univision: “No están preparados para la pandemia”: hispano habla de su experiencia en un centro de detención de ICE

“El peruano Carlos Usategui, quien estuvo detenido dos meses en el Orange County Correctional Facility, en Nueva York, asegura que en ese centro penitenciario no se están tomando en serio la crisis desatada por el coronavirus, pues no tienen mascarillas, guantes ni desinfectantes disponibles y los presos están expuestos peligrosamente al virus.” Watch the full…

The Nation: In ICE Detention, Forced to Pay for Soap

“At this point, the coronavirus has infected hundreds of thousands of Americans and killed over 50,000. One of the CDC’s most basic guidelines for avoiding COVID-19 is, of course, frequently washing one’s hands. Robyn Barnard, an asylum attorney in Southern California, says that her client contacted her and asked her to put money in his…

The Chronicle of Social Change: Parents’ Foster Care Placement Challenges Need Quick Resolutions, New York Appeals Court Rules

“During testimony in Albany in November, Emma Ketteringham, managing attorney of Bronx Defenders’ Family Defense Practice said the problems include too few judges and a lack of evening and weekend courtroom hours. “As a result, families are separated needlessly and kept separated for longer than necessary,” she told lawmakers. Pandemic-related court closures have exacerbated those delays for the foreseeable…

Legislative Gazette: Budget includes compromise on bail reform and judicial discretion

“Now, discovery laws have been extended to 20 calendar days and allowed some information to be non-discoverable. “The [amendments to] discovery provisions will also deny people facing criminal charges access to crucial and potentially exculpatory witness information. These are not small tweaks; they have bludgeoned reform just as it was taking root,” said the Bronx…

NY1: Protesters Demand Release of Queensboro Correctional Facility Prisoners

“Advocates held a rally outside Queensboro Correctional Facility demanding the release all state prisoners who are within one year of their release date. The protest, which included former inmates, prison health experts and advocacy organizations, is part of a larger call to release prisoners in order to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Read the…

Trouw: Geen borgsom in New York: vrij spel voor criminelen?

“Maar de New Yorkse media missen een nog veel sensationeler verhaal, zegt advocaat Eli ­Northrup, die regelmatig verdachten bijstaat bij hun eerste voorgeleiding na arrestatie. “Dat is het verhaal van iemand die geen borgtocht krijgt opgelegd die hij niet kan betalen, terug mag gaan naar zijn gezin, zijn baan niet verliest. In plaats van pas…

NY1: ICE obligado a liberar 5 inmigrantes en riesgo de contraer Covid-19

“En su decisión, la magistrada indicó que como no se aseguran los protocolos de higiene y salud en medio de la pandemia, los inmigrantes son expuestos a un alto riesgo de enfermarse gravemente o morir. Lo cual, dijo, equivale a una pena o castigo extremo bajo las normas del debido proceso. La demanda fue presentada…

Amsterdam News: Five medically vulnerable immigrants are released from ICE detention, but thousands still detained during pandemic

“Many attorneys and legal offices continue demanding that all immigrants be released. Releasing people from immigration detention can protect their lives, the lives of staff, and public health. A growing number of courts around the country have ordered the immediate release of medically vulnerable individuals. Courts are recognizing both the enormous risk of harm that…