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Redefining public defense.

The Bronx Defenders Community Involvement

6 Ways To Make An Impact

This was an incredible year for The Bronx Defenders (BxD). Thanks to individuals like you, we defended over 20,000 Bronx residents with low-incomes in criminal, civil, child welfare, and immigration cases annually. As the year comes to a close, there are many ways to help us make 2020 even more successful. Consider the 6 unique…

Values Worth Fighting For

John sought asylum in the United States after being kidnapped in Nigeria for being bisexual. Upon his arrival, he was detained by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). “I was imprisoned for seven months. I was facing a lot of challenges in there,” says John. Carletta lost everything due to a minor interaction with the legal system….

The Bronx Defenders’ Perspective on Police Body-Worn Cameras

The essence of any police body-worn camera program should be the need for increased police accountability.  Economically marginalized communities, particularly communities of color, have long been over-policed, subjecting their residents to degrees of state oversight and intervention that would never be tolerated in suburban communities.  Examples of this have included so-called “broken windows policing,” recently discredited…

NYPD Asks New Yorkers to Weigh in on Body-Worn Camera Policy

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is planning a large body-worn camera (BWC) experiment involving 1,000 cameras at precincts all over the City, and is seeking public input to develop the policies that will guide officers using the cameras. This pilot program emerged in part from the class action lawsuits in which the court found the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk…

New York Law Journal: We Need Speedy Trial Reform in City’s Criminal Courts

Too often in New York City, the maxim “justice delayed is justice denied” is no mere abstraction, but a reality that wears down defendants, dispirits victims and cheats taxpayers. This is particularly true in the city’s criminal court, where lower-level cases—misdemeanors and petty offenses—are adjudicated and where the gaze of policymakers and the press rarely…

Vice: We Know Terrifyingly Little About How Cops in New York Track Cell Phones

For the past several years, police departments across America have been using a nifty new piece of technology to trace the location of suspects. IMSI-catchers—commonly known as “StingRays” after the most popular brand name—are small boxes that gather all cell signals in a given area by mimicking a cell phone tower. And they’ve grown increasingly…

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor Speaks at The Bronx Defenders

On Monday, January 25th, The Bronx Defenders hosted U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor for an evening of conversation at its justice campus in the South Bronx. Local community members, staff members and supporters of The Bronx Defenders were present. The conversation between Robin Steinberg, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, and Justice Sotomayor…

The Bronx Defenders Launches the Robert P. Patterson, Jr. Mentoring Program

The Bronx Defenders is thrilled to launch the Robert P. Patterson, Jr. Mentoring Program, which will provide adult mentors to at-risk youth in the South Bronx. Using The Bronx Defenders’ collaborative team-based model, the program will broaden the mentee’s positive social network beyond a single mentor to include a team of dedicated advocates. Each mentee will…

Bronx Times: Annual block party held by Bronx Defenders

The Bronx Defenders held their 2015 Community Block Party on Wednesday, July 8 at the organization’s headquarters of 360 E. 161st Street. The block party included a barbecue, performances from local musicians, face painting, basketball tournaments, balloon animals, pony rides, carnival games, and other activities. By Steven Goodstein To see photos click here.

The Bronx Defenders hosted its Third Annual Youth Justice Summit!

This week, The Bronx Defenders hosted its Third Annual Youth Justice Summit. Over two days at The Bronx Defenders Justice Campus, we brought together 104 youth from three schools and one youth program: Truman High School, Bronx School of Law, Government, and Justice, Bronx Lighthouse Academy, and the BronxConnect Program. The Bronx Defenders was joined by three of…

BxD’s Annual Youth Justice Summit coming up on May 19 and 20

The Bronx Defenders’ annual Youth Justice Summit brings together students from the Bronx to participate in youth-specific workshops facilitated by several of our organizational allies in New York City. The third annual Youth Justice Summit will take place at The Bronx Defenders’ Justice Campus over two days, May 19 – 20, 2015. This year’s partner organizations for…

The Bronx Defenders receives Community Organization Award from Brooklyn Law School

Earlier this week, Bronx Defenders Trial Chief Karen Smolar accepted the “Community Organization Award” on behalf of The Bronx Defenders from the Brooklyn Law School National Lawyer’s Guild Chapter and the Brooklyn Law School Public Service Office. The Community Organization Award is given to an institution or group which is dedicated to social justice and has…

Thank you to everyone who supported The Bronx Defenders’ holiday gift drive

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our supporters, friends, and partners who contributed to The Bronx Defenders Annual Holiday Gift Drive, which allows our clients to give holiday gifts to their families when they otherwise would not be able to afford them. Thanks to the many contributions to our Amazon Wish List,…

Support BxD’s Annual Coat Drive!

As the winter gears up and temperatures drop, many of our clients lack sufficient winter coats to stay warm. In response, The Bronx Defenders carries out a coat drive each winter to make sure that clients or their family members have access to warm winter coats for free. Please consider donating a coat today! For…

Skylar Albertson spoke before NYC Board of Correction on solitary confinement concerns

On November 18th, Skylar Albertson spoke at a NYC Board of Correction (BOC) meeting concerning the use of solitary confinement and the Department of Correction’s (DOC) proposal to create Enhanced Supervision Housing (ESH) units at Rikers Island. The BOC, an independent oversight agency responsible for setting guidelines for the DOC, has been engaged in a…

The Bronx Defenders’ Statement on Ferguson

The Bronx Defenders today reiterates its support for the families and communities of Mike Brown, Akai Gurley, Eric Garner, Ramarley Graham, and the countless number of young men of color who have been victims of police brutality. The announcement last night of a No True Bill against Officer Darren Wilson exposed long-standing feelings of injustice…

The Bronx Defenders’ Statement in Response to President Obama’s announcement on Executive Immigration Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jennifer Friedman, The Bronx Defenders, 718-508-3408 or JenniferF@bronxdefenders.org Last night, families around the Bronx held their breath as the President announced sweeping changes that will expand work authorization and protect millions of immigrants from deportation. At The Bronx Defenders—and for the families we represent—the announcement was met with a mix of…

Next week The Bronx Defenders hosts its 2014 Thanksgiving Feast!

On Thanksgiving Day, next Thursday, November 27th, The Bronx Defenders will host its annual Thanksgiving Feast. The meal is free for clients, their families, and guests. Join us for turkey, sides, and delicious pies! Thursday, November 27, 2014 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm The Bronx Defenders Justice Campus Community Reception Area 360 E. 161st Street…

The Bronx Defenders’ Scott Levy on Hot 97’s Street Soldiers with Lisa Evers Discussing the NYPD’s New Marijuana Policy

Scott Levy, Project Director of The Fundamental Fairness Project at The Bronx Defenders, took part in a dynamic conversation surrounding the NYPD’s new marijuana policy on “Hot 97 Street Soldiers with Lisa Evers.” The radio program brought together drug policy experts, legal experts, law enforcement officials, and individuals with previous criminal justice involvement to discuss and debate…