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Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Public Defenders

Defendants on the lower end of the socio-economic scale find themselves at the mercy of public defenders who are swamped with cases, understaffed, and underfunded. Research shows that even before mass incarceration accelerated in the 1980s, overburdened systems of indigent defense struggled to meet the 6th Amendment constitutional mandate. Public defenders usually have the deck stacked against them due to discovery laws favoring prosecutors and lack of sufficient resources.

Posts tagged New Orleans

Saints' Demario Davis hosts forum calling for raise in Orleans Public Defenders' budget

“New Orleans Saints player Demario Davis was back in the news Tuesday afternoon, this time not for a successful defensive series or a game-day attire fine-turned-charitable opportunity, but for a cause he hopes gets the attention of city leaders. Using his athlete status, the linebacker brought defense attorneys, advocacy groups and even exonerated citizens together for a Players Coalition forum at Corpus Christi Church to discuss the funding, or lack thereof, for public defenders in Orleans Parish.“

New Orleans Times Picayune

November 5, 2019

Lack of FundingPhillip ReevesNovember 25, 2019New Orleans Times Picayune, New Orleans Saints, New Orleans, DemarioComment

Saints' Demario Davis: New Orleans not giving criminal defendants what they need

“For years, the Orleans Public Defenders Office has moved from one budget crisis to another. In 2012, funding shortfalls forced OPD to lay off a third of its staff. Three years later, and severely short-staffed, OPD had to refuse cases and waitlist people because it could no longer provide each person with the constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel.“

The Advocate

October 14, 2019

Lack of FundingPhillip ReevesOctober 14, 2019The Advocate, Demario Davis, New Orleans, New Orleans Saints, SaintsComment

Protect the right to counsel: stop recording attorney-client calls | Opinion

"Court Watch NOLA revealed in May that all calls made from prisoners in the jail in Orleans Parish to their attorneys' cell phones are recorded. These recordings have then been turned over to District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's office, which has used these conversations as evidence in prosecutions."

New Orleans Times-Picayune

June 23, 2018

Public DefendersAnthony BradleyJuly 30, 2018New Orleans Times Picayune, New Orleans, Phone Calls