Category: In the News
Bronx Justice News: District Attorney Darcel Clark On Criminal Justice Reform Legislation: “The Question Is Not If But How We Implement”
“DA Clark has rightly acknowledged the inevitability of discovery, bail, and speedy trial reform in New York. But acknowledgement of inevitability is not enough. The time for delay and foot-dragging is over,” The Bronx Defenders said in a statement. “Bronx-residents–particularly those from communities of color–have waited long enough for a criminal legal system that respects […]
The New Republic: The Crime of Parenting While Poor
“The whole existence of ACS lets us pretend that we’re protecting children.” Emma Ketteringham, our managing director of the Family Defense Practice, comments on how parents of color living in poverty are more likely to be overpoliced and criminalized just for parenting. Statistics show that parents living in poverty are unfairly scrutinized by the Administration […]
Criminal (In)Justice: #98 Holistic Criminal Defense
James Anderson, a senior behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation, and one of the authors of “The Effects of Holistic Defense on Criminal Justice Outcomes,” which The Bronx Defenders is featured in, talks about a better method of providing criminal defense services through holistic defense. Hear the full podcast here
New York Law Journal: Treatment of Transgender People in Custody Must Improve
“In the five years I’ve worked as a defender, I have never met a transgender client who was not abused or harassed in some way by the NYPD during the process of their arrest.” Deb Lolai, our LGBTQ specialist, wrote an op-ed highlighting transphobic practice rampant in the NYPD. While in detention, trans and gender […]
New York Daily News: Defense attorneys demand tour of freezing Brooklyn federal jail
The Bronx Defenders, along with the Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services and other advocates, demand to be sent to MDC Warden Herman Quay and access the jail’s housing units, medical facilities and mess halls. “They lost the right to say that they can manage this. They lost all credibility.” Read more here.
Filter Magazine: Public Defenders Are Hugely Overworked–But Also Underpaid Compared With Prosecutors
“Every aspect of my role from mentoring and fostering interest in public defense careers in students early on to extending offers…to saying goodbye to my colleagues who no longer found this career to be sustainable for them…I am hearing the same question over and over. While I am incredibly committed to supporting my clients and […]
Queens Daily Eagle: DAs, Lawmakers And Advocates Rally to Freeze ICE Out of NY Courts
“ICE arrests inside and around New York courthouses increased by 1700 percent between 2016 and 2018, according to a report by the Immigrant Defense Project. Queens and Brooklyn account for the highest number of courthouse ICE arrests in the state, the report reveals.” Read more here.
New York Times: Jail or Bail? There’s a New Option
In New York City, supervised release is an alternative to jail and bail. “It reinforces this notion that people charged with violent offenses are somehow less deserving of the presumption of innocence than others.” Scott Levy, our special counsel, on how excluding certain statutes in supervised release hinder reform. Read more here.
The City: 20 Years After the NYPD Killing of Amadou Diallo, His Mother and Community Ask: What’s Changed?
“His murder was in the context of a stop. It was a horrible example of the officers thinking black people pose a threat, even for movements that are innocuous and benign.” Our Deputy Director of Impact Litigation, Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, spoke to New York Magazine’s The City for the anniversary of Amadou Diallo. Read more […]
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 […]