Emily Galvin to present at Bennington College’s Incarceration in America conference
Bronx Defenders Criminal Defense Attorney Emily Galvin will be presenting at Bennington College’s second conference in its Incarceration in America series: Effecting Change, on May 15–16, 2015. The conference is part of Bennington’s growing Incarceration in America initiative, which includes curriculum, visiting speakers, theatrical events, think tanks, and retreats to develop public policy and political action in…
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…
BxD applauds the Mayor’s proposal to expand rent-regulated tenant protections
In a New York Daily News Exclusive released May 5, 2015, Mayor de Blasio unveiled his proposal for sweeping reforms to enhance rent laws that protect hardworking New York families living in the city’s one million rent-regulated apartments. The Mayor, together with housing advocates, intends to promote these reforms over the next six weeks in order to get…
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…
Pro Bono props from The Bronx Defenders!
The Bronx Defenders works with a number of pro bono law firms on a range of matters, from isolated client case issues to ongoing projects. This support plays a crucial role in advancing our mission to combat the systemic challenges driving indigent people into the justice system, and to redefine public defense. To highlight just…
Kate Rubin testified before City Council in support of proposed Office of Civil Justice
The Bronx Defenders Managing Director of the Civil Action Practice Kate Rubin presented written and oral testimony to the New York City Council Committee on Courts and Legal Services yesterday, April 15, in support of Intro 736, a local law to establish the Office of Civil Justice. The Bronx Defenders supports Intro 736 because an…
Bronx Defenders advocates present at National Association of Social Workers conference
Three Bronx Defenders advocates — Social Worker Sarah Knight, Parent Advocate Keston Jones, and Civil Legal Advocate Maria Monica Andia — will be presenting at the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), New York City Chapter conference “Social Work in the City: Dreams and Realities of Life in New York” on April 8, 2015. The conference aims…
BxD and attorneys from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP collaborate on amicus brief
On behalf of 15 organizations supporting the rights, interests, and health of parents and pregnant women, The Bronx Defenders Family Defense Practice, along with attorneys at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, sought leave to file an amicus brief in the New York Appellate Division, First Department, last week. Our brief argues that the New York…
Lindsay Ferguson and Jenny Semmel to join panel discussion at John Jay College
Bronx Defenders Social Worker Lindsay Ferguson and Criminal Defense Attorney Jenny Semmel will join a panel discussion at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, entitled “Mass Incarceration and Its Mental Health Implications,” on Thursday, March 19, 2015. The panel will be chaired by Professor George Adreopoulous, Director of the Center for International Human Rights. Jenny and…
Kate Rubin and Scott Levy testified before City Council on community policing
Bronx Defenders Managing Director of the Civil Action Practice Kate Rubin, together with Fundamental Fairness Project Director Scott Levy, submitted written comments on behalf of The Bronx Defenders to New York City Council’s Committee on Public Safety on March 3, 2015, discussing key issues to consider in community policing. The testimony describes two critical lenses through which…
Emma Ketteringham to join panel at Cardozo “Policing, Conflict, and Change” conference
Bronx Defenders Managing Director of the Family Defense Practice Emma Ketteringham will be presenting on a panel at Cardozo School of Law’s “Policing, Conflict, and Change” Conference next Thursday, March 12, 2015. The conference will be an all-day event with four panel discussions surrounding the state of policing today, the development of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence,…
Kate Rubin to speak at Jon Jay panel on community consequences of incarceration
On Thursday, March 5, 2015, John Jay College of Criminal Justice will be hosting the fifth installment of the 2014-15 PRI Occasional Series on Reentry Research, highlighting issues raised by the National Academy of Sciences’ groundbreaking report, “The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Causes and Consequences.” Bronx Defenders Managing Director of the Civil…
Runa Rajagopal to present at ABA National Summit on Collateral Consequences
Bronx Defenders Civil Action Supervising Attorney and Team Leader Runa Rajagopal will be leading a panel on Friday, February 27th at the First National Summit on Collateral Consequences in Washington, DC, presented by the ABA Criminal Justice Section in collaboration with the National Institute of Justice. Runa’s panel, entitled “Real Life Collateral Consequence: Stories from the Field,” will…
Justine Olderman Presented Testimony to City Council on Evaluating the Effectiveness of Indigent Defense
But in truth, traditional metrics fail to adequately measure effective representation…We cannot talk about caseloads, qualifications, training, or supervision without taking into account the radical change in our responsibility to our clients. We must first recognize that no matter how well organized, staffed, trained, supervised, and evaluated we are, we are not meeting minimum standards…
Keston Jones to speak on “The State of the Black Family” panel at Penn State Law
Bronx Defenders Parent Advocate and Focus on Fathers Project Coordinator Keston Jones will be joining a panel discussion at Penn State Law, organized by the Black Law Students Association, on Tuesday, February 3, 2015. Penn State Law is hosting this program as part of Black History Month to address how Black families are treated throughout the…
What You Need to Know About the New Rules Governing New York City’s Jails
The New York City Board of Correction (BOC) is the oversight body tasked with ensuring Minimum Standards for conditions of confinement in New York City’s jails. On January 13th, the BOC approved a series of changes to the Minimum Standards. Much attention has been focused on the BOC’s conditional pledge to end the use of…
Statement on Music Video
The Bronx Defenders truly regrets having been involved with the “Hands Up” video. Our organization does not condone violence against the police. The video was released without The Bronx Defenders authorization or approval. Since the video’s release, we have made numerous attempts through our attorneys to have the video taken down. We will continue in our efforts…
Mark Loudon-Brown to lead webinar on DNA expert cross examination
Bronx Defenders Criminal Defense Attorney and Forensic Practice Supervisor Mark Loudon-Brown will be leading a National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) webinar on Thursday, February 5, 2015 at 1:00 pm EST. The webinar, entitled “Cross Examining the DNA Analyst: Themes, Chapters, and Examples” will build on the elements of DNA evidence that were discussed in the previous webinar led…
Keeping families together: Spotlight on BxD’s “Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies” project
Recognizing the pain and trauma of family separation, The Bronx Defenders advocates tirelessly in Bronx Family Court to ensure that our clients are given fair access to justice and that their children are not removed merely because their families are over-policed and prosecuted for being poor. Responding to this reality, we launched our Healthy Mothers,…
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…
The Bronx Defenders Statement on the Murder of NYPD Officers Ramos and Liu
The Bronx Defenders unequivocally denounces the senseless murders of police officers Ramos and Liu. Violence is never the solution to problems in our city. During this time of anguish and reflection, our hearts go out to the Ramos and Liu families.
The Bronx Defenders’ Statement on the Department of Justice’s Lawsuit Regarding Rikers Island
The decision by the Department of Justice to move forward with a lawsuit against New York City over the treatment of adolescents at Rikers Island sends a clear signal to the City that it has failed to propose or implement meaningful reforms. The timing of the announcement, which comes a day before the upcoming Board…
The Bronx Defenders releases its report “The Hidden Tax: Economic Costs of Marijuana Enforcement in the Bronx and New York City”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 17, 2014 Contact: Scott Levy, The Bronx Defenders, 718-838-7833, ScottL@bronxdefenders.org The Hidden Tax: Economic Costs of Marijuana Enforcement in the Bronx and New York City New York – The Bronx Defenders released The Hidden Tax: Economic Costs of Marijuana Enforcement in New York, a report by The Bronx Defenders Fundamental Fairness…
BxD’s Director of Pro Bono spoke at New York City Bar Panel
Last week, The Bronx Defenders Director of Pro Bono, Annie Pineda, participated in a New York City Bar panel discussion about best practices in pro bono when collaborating with law firms, corporations, and law students. The panel, entitled “Pro Bono Basics in a Changing Landscape,” focused on recent changes in the pro bono landscape, including…