Category: In the News
New York Daily News: Three strikes but still not out: Inside the Bronx ‘Opioid Court’ where addicts get extra swings at recovery
“Avery McNeil, the alternatives to incarceration specialist at the Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit legal organization, praised OAR for setting up a pathway that allows people to get addiction treatment without first copping to a crime that could stay on their permanent record regardless of their recovery. “That’s really important for our clients who are facing employment, […]
New York Daily News: New bail reform laws likely to change the face of Bronx ‘Opioid Court’
“The Bronx HOPE program is currently reserved for people charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh-degree. Avery McNeil, the alternatives to incarceration specialist at the Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit legal organization, would like to see HOPE expand so that the program reaches more people. “More of our clients being issues DATs […]
Law360: Closing Rikers May Pave New Path For Mentally Ill Inmates
“New York City’s move to close the notorious prison Rikers Island could be an important step in making sure people suffering from mental illnesses, who make up half of America’s incarcerated population of 2.3 million, aren’t lost in the criminal justice system, according to speakers at an event on the problems of mass incarceration… Roberts […]
Filter Magazine: What Harm Reductionists Think About Sesame Street’s Addiction Representation
“Dinah Ortiz, a parent advocate supervisor at The Bronx Defenders and a Filter contributor, is concerned that Sesame Street’s focus on the disease model of addiction, and not drug use more generally—which ranges from from abstinence to chaotic and out of control—could add fuel to the fire of child-parent separations that target parents of color. “Sesame Street […]
NY1: Advocates Rally to Repeal 50A Law
The Police Commissioner supports making such records public as long as disciplinary hearings are completed and wrongdoing is confirmed. “But we also know that the police officers who have a history of compliant continue to police these communities. They continue to patrol these streets. But, the public has been deprived from getting any information about […]
Inside Higher Ed: Documentary to Showcase Education in Prison
Burns moderated a conversation following the preview among Congressman Bobby L. Rush; Novick; Max Kenner, executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative; DeAnna Hoskins, president of advocacy group JustLeadershipUSA; and Wesley Caines, an alum of the initiative and chief of staff at the Bronx Defenders. The conversation ranged from how the film was made, to […]
The Appeal: New York Adopted Pretrial Reforms. Its DA Races Will Decide Who Implements Them.
“These elections will decide who implements the new laws, and who lobbies for or against future ones, in some of the state’s most populous upstate jurisdictions, as well as in Queens. “If district attorneys are actively resisting implementing the spirit of the reforms, they can really throw a huge wrench in the process and undermine […]
Into the Gloss: The Bronx Defenders
“Beauty allows us to shape our individual stories and find ways to connect to others all at once. With The Top Shelf we discover personal narratives through beauty routines. In The Beauty Politic, Into The Gloss explores how beauty connects communities, and how it informs a sense of self for the people within them. Beauty can be used […]
JustLove Radio: Helping People Reenter Society After Involvement with the Justice System
“Wes Caines is the Chief of Staff for The Bronx Defenders, a public defender non-profit serving the people of the Bronx, New York. Wes, who recently addressed the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington D.C. on the work of The Bronx Defenders back in September, talks with us a bit about his work at The Bronx […]
The Chief Leader: New Issues in Shift Of 17-Year-Old Inmates
“Under Raise the Age, older adolescents in New York City have better access to age-appropriate services and programs designed to promote rehabilitation, positive behavior change and successful re-entry into the community all while preserving the safety and security of youth and staff and protecting public safety,” he said. But some advocates worried that the influx […]