California’s lack of oversight adds to Santa Cruz County’s indigent defense woes
California’s lack of oversight adds to Santa Cruz County’s indigent defense woes
Pleading the Sixth: For decades, Santa Cruz County has delegated to private law firms, through county contracts, all decision-making about the provision of Sixth Amendment right to counsel services. The county cannot accurately say how many people or cases, and of what case types, require appointed counsel nor by whom the…
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December 14, 2023
Pennsylvania is off the “no state funding” list. Is South Dakota next?
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December 11, 2023
Virginia legislative report finds low fee caps cause problems
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August 8, 2023
Revised ABA Ten Principles: A new public defense roadmap for policymakers
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July 14, 2023
Oregon passes sweeping indigent defense reforms
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July 12, 2023
New Jersey abolishes public defender reimbursement fees in felony cases
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May 16, 2023
Strike Four, now what? ACLU sues Kern County, California for systemically denying counsel
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April 4, 2023
Low attorney pay in New York: a cautionary tale for the country
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March 14, 2023
The State of the Nation on Gideon’s 60th Anniversary
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March 8, 2023
Timely access to counsel declared a national priority
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February 7, 2023
Broken Defense, a seven-part series exposes the depths of the indigent defense crisis in western states
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February 1, 2023
Lake County Report is the third strike against California’s deficient indigent defense systems
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Criminal justice issues that disproportionately harm poor people, such as wrongful convictions and over-incarceration, cannot be fixed if indigent defendants are given attorneys who do not have the time, resources, or qualifications, to be a constitutional check on government. Yet, investment in improving indigent defense services remains largely neglected. The Sixth Amendment Center is the only nonprofit organization in the country that exclusively examines, uncovers, and helps fix the root of the indigent defense crisis in which inequality is perpetuated because poor defendants do not get a fair fight.
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