Robin Steinberg spoke at “Gideon’s 50th Anniversary Symposium” at American University
On March 18th, 2013, Robin Steinberg spoke about the Bronx Freedom Fund at Gideon’s 50th Anniversary Symposium at American University, Washington College of Law. Her remarks were part of a panel entitled “Gideon, Strickland, and the Right to Effective Representation.” Click here for more information
HuffPost Live: Christian Lassiter talking about the shooting of Kimani Gray
This morning, our very own Christian Lassiter appeared live on HuffPost Live to talk about the Kimani Gray killing by the NYPD in Brooklyn last weekend. As you can see, Christian did a fabulous job in this very important and critical conversation about the NYPD’s campaign to target young Black and Latino men in low…
South Bronx Podcast Series: Levele Pointer, “I felt totally violated”
Levele Pointer, South Bronx resident, member of the Bronx Defenders Organizing Project and a NYHRE peer educator, shares his stories of getting stopped and frisked in New York City. This is the first in a series of South Bronx stories about the harmful impact on individuals and communities of discriminatory police practices. Recording, editing, and…
The Guardian: America’s bail system: one law for the rich, another for poor
If you’ve ever been arrested for a misdemeanor offense, like jumping a turnstile, smoking a joint, or protesting a cause in a way the authorities would rather you didn’t, then you’ll know that your best chance of avoiding jail has less to do with what you’ve done than if you can make bail. It’s no…
New York Law Journal: Lippman Lauds Bronx Group’s Nonprofit Approach to Bail Defenders
Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman (See Profile) last week praised as a way “to take the profit motive out of bond making” the program of a Bronx legal assistance organization that used charitable contributions to keep its indigent clients out of jail as they awaited trial. Lippman’s endorsement came as The Bronx Defenders prepared to resume…
Justine Olderman spoke at the 8th Annual Harry Frank Guggenehim Symposium on Crime in America
On February 4, 2013, Justine Olderman spoke at the 8th Annual Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Her remarks on bail reform and Holistic Defense were part of the panel entitled “Rethinking Pre-Trial Detention” and are captured in part here.
Residents of East Harlem – Manhattan’s Most Stopped-and-Frisked Neighborhood
Residents Protest NYPD Practice, Call for City Council Passage of Community Safety Act Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, advocates and New Yorkers call for end to abuse and harassment at “East Harlem Stand Up!” event New York – Hundreds of New Yorkers joined Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, community organizations and advocates in East Harlem to protest…
DNAinfo: 10 Judges Will Head to Bronx to Target Criminal Case Backlog
BRONX SUPREME COURT — Ten judges from outside the city will be temporarily assigned to The Bronx as part of an unprecedented plan to shrink an “intolerable” backlog of felony cases, the state’s top judge said Tuesday. The move came as the borough’s top criminal judge, Efrain Alvarado, will be replaced by Justice Douglas McKeon,…
The Village Voice: Making Bail Better
When Judge Ralph Fabrizio saw William Miranda, free of handcuffs and dressed in street clothes, sitting in his Bronx courtroom, he was surprised. Three days earlier, on February 24, 2009, Miranda had been up before Fabrizio for arraignment on two misdemeanor assault charges. Fabrizio had set a substantial bail, $1,500 for each charge, certainly more…
Jenay spoke at Columbia University Law School panel, “The Risk of Permanent Punishment”
Jenay Nurse spoke on a panel at Columbia University Law School regarding juveniles and collateral consequences called “The Risk of Permanent Punishment.” Jenay spoke of the work she does for The Bronx Defenders Adolescent Defense Project on behalf of our youngest clients facing adult charges.
City Limits: Bail Fund Aims to Free Poor Defendants
The Bronx Defenders, through its affiliate the Bronx Freedom Fund, bailed hundreds of people between 2007 and 2009. According to Robin Steinberg, executive director of The Bronx Defenders, “During the 18 months that the Bronx Freedom Fund operated, 150 clients were bailed out and the return rate of our clients was an impressive 95 percent….
News 12 Bronx: Criminal justice groups hold first BX town hall
THE BRONX – Several criminal justice groups came together Monday night for their first Bronx town hall meeting at Hostos Community College. Organizers, including the Bronx Defenders and the Justice Committee, claim that police have taken advantage of many people during practices such as stop-and-frisk. They say the meeting aimed to teach local residents about…
WNYC The Brian Lehrer Show: Charities Posting Bail & Robin Steinberg discusses the Bronx freedom fund
Robin G. Steinberg, executive director of The Bronx Defenders, discusses the Bronx Freedom Fund, a program that helps Bronx residents pay bail and avoid time in jail when they can’t afford it, and the new New York State law that allows charities to do this. More here: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2012/aug/01/charities-posting-bail/
WNYC News: Charities to Play Bail Bondsman Role
Charities will soon be allowed to post bail for the poor and indigent. A new law recently signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo allows charities to be authorized and regulated by the Department of Financial Services, the same state agency that oversees bail bondsman. Only those charged with non-violent misdemeanors with bails set at $2,000 or…
New York Daily News: New version of charitable bond bill headed to Cuomo’s desk could free thousands of poor Bronx defendants
Legislation passed by state lawmakers last week with approval from Gov. Cuomo could free thousands of jailed Bronxites. Sponsored by state Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx), the new law will allow charitable organizations statewide to post bail – up to $2,000 – for poor defendants held on misdemeanor charges. The Cuomo-vetted bill is an amended version…
The Guardian: New York mayor and NYPD back marijuana decriminalisation proposal
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly have backed legislation proposed by governor Andrew Cuomo that would reduce the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana in public view from a crime to a misdemeanor. Cuomo’s proposal is an attempt to reduce the number of people exposed to a criminal charge…
The Village Voice: Bail is Busted: How Jail Really Works
Lauren DiGioia’s face was stony and impassive beneath bright blue hair as she was brought into a courtroom in handcuffs on March 18. At 2:30 the previous afternoon, DiGioia, 27, had become the first person arrested by the New York City Police Department during Occupy Wall Street’s six-month anniversary at Zuccotti Park. DiGioia was taken…
New York Daily News: New study by Bronx public defenders claims NYPD cops made hundreds of unlawful marijuana arrests
Bronx Defenders says 41% of those arrested for pot had their rights violated. In New York, possession of a small amount of marijuana is only a misdemeanor when the pot is displayed in public. When the substance is concealed, it becomes a violation punishable by a fine – even when an officer pulls the pot…
The New York Times: Examining Marijuana Arrests
The New York State Legislature showed good sense when it exempted people convicted of low-level marijuana possession from having to submit DNA to the state database, unless they have been convicted of a previous crime. Still, the state must do more to curb the arrests of tens of thousands of people each year in New…
The Guardian: New York police officers defy order to cut marijuana arrests
Police officers in New York are “manufacturing” criminal offenses by forcing people with small amounts of marijuana to reveal their drugs, according to a survey by public defenders. Nearly half of New Yorkers picked up for small amounts of marijuana possession in recent months were not displaying the drug before they were stopped, the study…
WNYC: Data Shows Percentage of Wrongful Marijuana Arrests Rose After Kelly’s Order: Bronx Public Defenders
Data Shows Percentage of Wrongful Marijuana Arrests Rose After Kelly’s Order: Bronx Public Defenders WNYC By Ailsa Chang March 29, 2012 Public defenders in the Bronx said more than 40 percent of the marijuana arrests they investigated in their borough between May and October 2011 show violations of constitutional rights and problems with…
The Village Voice: NYPD Clean Halls Program Faces Legal Challenge
Later this morning, civil liberties advocates will announce a new challenge to the controversial NYPD program of patrolling the hallways of thousands of privately-owned buildings. Private owners enroll in the program, known as Operation Clean Halls, which has swelled in Manhattan alone to at least 3,895 buildings. The program envisioned as a way for police…
NY1: Lawsuit Claims NYPD “Clean Halls” Program Violates Civil Rights
Civil rights advocacy groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the New York City Police Department over a controversial program that allows officers to patrol private apartment buildings. The suit, submitted by the New York Civil Liberties Union, Latino Justice Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, as well as lawyers with the Bronx Defenders, allege…
WNYC: NYPD Conducts Suspicionless Stops in Private Buildings: Suit
A federal class action was filed against New York City and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly on Wednesday for what plaintiffs allege are suspicionless stops within private residential buildings. Under the NYPD’s enforcement of a program known as Operation Clean Halls, a landlord enters into an agreement with the NYPD, which grants officers permission to patrol…
Reuters: NYS law requires two forms of bail for defendants: Court of Appeals
Trial judges in New York are required by state law to set at least two forms of bail for criminal defendants, the state’s top court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeals held that a trial judge erred when he set $20,000 “cash-only” bail for Shaun McManus, and dismissed his petition to…