Saturday, June 5, 2010

Support Holistic Defense Bronx Style


The Bronx Defenders are a leader in holistic public defense work that are supported by grants and donations. This groundbreaking approach is on the tipping point...it is a sustainable defense model to improve our justice system as blogged about here and here. You can help with the Summer Hundred Campaign by donating $100, or whatever you can, to the cause. If you happen to be in the Bronx in July, you can enjoy the cocktail party: a pledge enters you into a raffle. The Bronx Defenders are redefining criminal defense by starting with the principle that an arrest is not just an arrest, it can create a whole host of legal and social problems:

The Bronx Defenders employs a groundbreaking system of holistic defense to fight both the causes and consequences of involvement in the criminal justice system. Located in the heart of the South Bronx, our office has been engaged in a constant dialogue with the community we serve. What we have learned from that dialogue is that our client population has a host of legal and social support needs. As holistic defenders we are committed to providing our clients with seamless access to services to meet those needs. Our interdisciplinary teams of criminal, civil, and family defense lawyers, social workers, parent advocates, investigators, and community organizers work with clients and their families to identify and overcome the challenges they face. Whether addressing the root causes of their involvement in the criminal justice system such as addiction, mental illness, and joblessness or the collateral consequences of their criminal case, our goal is not just to succeed in court but to make a long-term difference in our clients’ lives.

Because at The Bronx Defenders, we know an arrest is never just an arrest.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

A New York City investigation has concluded that two government-funded defense lawyers who appeared in a music video that promoted the killing of police officers knew beforehand that the lyrics supported deadly retribution for the death of Eric Garner.

The Department of Investigation found that the executive director of the legal organization, the Bronx Defenders, approved the organization’s involvement without reviewing the lyrics and later misled city officials about her role.

In a statement on Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned “any endorsement of violence against police officers.”

“The administration has demanded Bronx Defenders take immediate action in response to the findings of D.O.I.,” Mr. de Blasio said. “Unless those actions are fully responsive to the serious issues raised here, the city will take all legal and contractual actions available to it.”