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Redefining public defense.

The Bronx Defenders Announcements

We are excited to welcome our new class of passionate holistic defenders!

The new training team started today, with a meet-and-greet, a tour of the office, and a conversation with Executive Director Robin Steinberg. These attorneys will be trained in all aspects of holistic defense for the next six weeks, and will receive one-on-one training and support for a full year. We celebrated the “graduation” of last…

Watch Kate Rubin on Sunday, Sept. 9th discuss NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy

Both Sides of the Bars: “The Bronx Defenders on Stop and Frisk” Watch The Bronx Defenders’ Kate Rubin, Director of Policy & Community Development, and The Fortune Society’s Glenn E. Martin discuss the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy and its effect on NYC communities. You can watch this episode of “Both Sides of the Bars” on Sunday,…

Press Advisory: Bronx Residents to Come Together To Fight Stop-and-Frisk

Bronx Residents to Come Together To Fight Stop-and-Frisk South Bronx residents will receive information about their legal rights during police encounters and learn about Communities United for Police Reform’s community education initiatives. The Town Hall will mobilize residents to monitor and document police misconduct and to pass the Community Safety Act, which would ban discriminatory…

Desiree Lassiter presented at the 2012 Public Defender Advocacy, Hiring & Training Conference at Georgetown University Law Center

On Saturday, July 28, 2012, Desiree Lassiter spoke on a panel “Get Over Yourself: Client-Centered Representation & Indigent Criminal Defense”. Client-centered representation is not only the most prevalent theory of lawyering taught in law school clinics, it is a hallmark of some of the strongest public defender offices in the United States. But what is…

Request for Proposal: IT Managed Care & Implementation Services Project

The Bronx Defenders The 2012 Request for Proposal IT Managed Care & Implementation Services Project 2012-05-IT   Please find a copy of the IT RFP below.  The Bronx Defenders encourages applications from all vendors across the information technology community.  Please note that proposals under this RFP are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday,…

Brenda Zubay presented at the Museum of Motherhood Conference “Evolving Motherhood”

On May 17, 2012, Brenda Zubay presented at the Museum of Motherhood Conference entitled “Evolving Motherhood” in New York City.  Her presentation, “Parenting While Apart” explored questions about the changing role and identity of mothers who are separated from their children, are judged negatively as parents, and are denied their traditional parenting roles and responsibilities. For more information, click here

The Bronx Defenders Joins Advocates and Lawmakers in Condemning the Activation of Secure Communities Program in New York

May 15, 2012 The Bronx Defenders Joins Advocates and Federal and State Lawmakers in Condemning the Activation of Secure Communities Program in New York The Bronx Defenders re-affirmed today its long-standing opposition to the activation of the Secure Communities program in New York. Under Secure Communities, individuals may be deported as a result of any…

The Bronx Defenders Marijuana Arrest Project announces preliminary review of data reflecting ongoing and systemic constitutional and evidentiary problems in marijuana arrests by NYPD

The Bronx Defenders Marijuana Arrest Project April 2, 2012 Preliminary Data Review Fact Sheet Over the course of the past seven months, the Marijuana Arrest Project (MAP) at The Bronx Defenders systematically interviewed over 500 clients arrested for low-level marijuana possession between May and October 2011 from every NYPD precinct and command in the Bronx….

Class Action Lawsuit Filed by The Bronx Defenders, NYCLU, and LatinoJustice PRLDEF Challenges Abusive NYPD Patrols of Private Apartment Buildings

  On March 28, 2012, with NYCLU and LatinoJustice PRLDEF, we announced a class action lawsuit to challenge NYPD’s enforcement of Operation Clean Halls, a disturbing extension of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program into private apartment buildings. From NYCLU: Class Action Lawsuit Challenges NYPD Patrols of Private Apartment Buildings March 28, 2012 — The NYPD’s enforcement of…

The Bronx Defenders Legal Director Marika Meis successfully argues in New York Court of Appeals that courts must set alternatives to cash bail

The New York Court of Appeals today ruled in favor of Bronx Defenders client, Sean McManus, in a decision that will have widespread impact on the state criminal court system, particularly for the indigent. The decision recognizes that the statutory bail scheme in New York was created to provide flexible bail alternatives for those accused of crimes…

New York City to Pay $15 Million in Damages for Illegal Loitering Charges

PRESS RELEASE New York City to Pay $15 Million in Damages for Illegal Loitering Charges February 7, 2012 Yesterday a federal court in Manhattan approved a class action settlement requiring New York City to pay $15 Million Dollars to approximately 22,000 New Yorkers who were illegally charged by the New York City Police Department under…

2012 Holistic Defense for Public Defender Offices: Technical Assistance Opportunity

The Center for Holistic Defense The 2012 Holistic Defense for Public Defender Offices Technical Assistance Project Request for Proposals The Center for Holistic Defense, a project of The Bronx Defenders, is pleased to announce the release of its third annual Technical Assistance Project Request For Proposals, seeking applications from public defender offices across the country,…

McGregor Smyth trained more than 200 public defenders at South Carolina Public Defender Association Annual Conference

On September 27, McGregor Smyth, Managing Attorney of our Civil Action Practice, trained more than 200 public defenders at the South Carolina Public Defender Association Annual Conference on how to use the Supreme Court’s decision in Padilla v. Kentucky to get better results for clients. For more information: http://www.sccid.sc.gov/userfiles/PD-Conference-2011/2011-Agenda-Final—9-14-11.pdf

The Bronx Defenders was awarded a grant from OCA

The Bronx Defenders was awarded a grant from the Oversight Board for Judiciary Civil Legal Services Funds in New York. This 2011-2012 grant comes from the $12.5 million that the OCA is distributing to 56 civil legal service providers. For more information please read the New York Law Journal article.