Yes Magazine: When You Can’t Afford the Cost of Clearing Your Record
Adrienne broke the law: Caught speeding on her way home from work in Memphis, Tennessee, she pled guilty to charges of reckless driving and reckless endangerment. Two years later, Adrienne had completed probation and paid her court fees. But the charges still appeared on background checks, so she could find only temporary work. The barrier…
Independent Record: Flathead Reservation program helps former inmates reintegrate
A new program on the Flathead Reservation is helping people who are released from tribal jail or the state prison adjust to life after incarceration. There are many “collateral consequences” people deal with upon their release — inability to find a place to live, struggling to get a job and issues getting drivers licenses reinstated,…
The Center for Holistic Defense Training and Technical Sites
The Center for Holistic Defense provides in-depth, hands-on support or technical assistance to individual offices and defender systems seeking concrete guidance in realizing the vision of holistic defense. Each year, The Center for Holistic Defense releases a Request for Proposals (RFP), soliciting applications from defender offices nationwide to receive six months of in-depth technical assistance….
Advocates from Across the U.S. Gather to Discuss Holistic Defense
Last week The Bronx Defenders invited fellow public defenders and advocates from 24 organizations – including 18 public defender offices – across the U.S. to its first Holistic Defense round table. The two-day gathering represented the first opportunity to convene in one room a group of innovators and trailblazers who are challenging traditional criminal justice…
Riverfront Times: ArchCity Defenders – Meet the legal superheroes fighting for St. Louis’ downtrodden
Excerpt: “Five years ago Harvey and two law-school buddies — Michael-John Voss and John McAnnar — founded ArchCity Defenders, a nonprofit with a mission to rescue those caught up in this legal morass. But more than just offering legal aid to the indigent, ArchCity Defenders works to help its clients improve their overall lives, be…
Diplomatic and Educational Delegation from Singapore Visits The Bronx Defenders
On April 22, 2014, a delegation from the government of Singapore visited The Bronx Defenders Justice Campus to learn more about Holistic Defense. The group, led by Senior Minister of State Indranee Rajah, is planning the development of a practice-focused law school in Singapore. They hope to incorporate aspects of Holistic Defense into the school’s…
San Jose Mercury News: ‘Holistic’ criminal defense gains footing in Bay Area
California is no stranger to holistic medicine, holistic massage or holistic music (think soothing nature sounds). There’s even a pet store in Berkeley called the Holistic Hound. Now comes a new twist on the notion — holistic criminal defense. Touchy-feely as it may sound, none other than the U.S. Department of Justice is supporting efforts…
Center for Holistic Defense 2014 Symposium
The Center for Holistic Defense 2014 Symposium May 7-9, 2014 The Center for Holistic Defense 2014 Symposium will bring together public defenders leaders and practitioners from across the country for a series of intensive workshops and discussions on holistic defense. By invite only. Questions: Contact Skylar at SkylarA@bronxdefenders.org
Alfred Siegel
We are deeply saddened to hear that we have lost our longtime friend and colleague, Alfred Siegel. Al was one of our greatest allies in the fight for justice. He dedicated his life to creating a fair and humane justice system. The Center for Court Innovation and The Bronx Defenders have partnered extensively, and it would…
Memphis Business Journal: Shelby County Public Defenders win grant for training
As part of a Training & Technical Assistance Grant earlier this year, the Law Offices of the Shelby County Public Defender receive training in techniques from The Bronx Defenders in partnership with the Center for Court Innovation. Shelby County was one of six public defender offices chosen to receive the grant. Public defenders in Atlanta,…
Shelby County Public Defenders Begin Work with Bronx Defenders
The Bronx Defenders is working with the Law Offices of the Shelby County Public Defender in Memphis for the next six months to a build a lasting framework centered on holistic representation of their clients. Check out their write-up of their trip to the Bronx: Shelby County Public Defenders Begin Work with Bronx Defenders: Grant…
Char-Koosta News: Presentation explores affects of stress with law enforcement, arrests
PABLO — In 2011 the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Defense office received an award from the Center for Holistic Defense sponsored by the Bronx Public Defenders office in New York for technical assistance that uses a holistic approach that allows the tribal defense team to be client-centered with limited financial resources. The award is…
Alex Sierck spoke on a webinar panel “Defender Initiatives in Indian Country”
On June 11, 2013, Alex Sierck, Project Director of the Center for Holistic Defense, spoke on a webinar panel entitled “Defender Initiatives in Indian Country.” The panel discussed how recent legislation has affected tribal courts and the tribal defender community and examined how two tribal defender initiatives are enhancing the provision of justice and improving…
The Center for Holistic Defense Announces 2013 Grant Awardees
The Bronx Defenders’ Center for Holistic Defense selected six public defender offices in 2013 to receive training in holistic advocacy techniques. New York – The Bronx Defenders’ Center for Holistic Defense, in partnership with the Center for Court Innovation (CCI), chose six public defender offices to receive its Training & Technical Assistance Grant in 2013….
The Center for Holistic Defense Announces Technical Assistance Winners
Bronx, New York—May 16, 2011—The Center for Holistic Defense (“The Center”), a project of The Bronx Defenders, in collaboration with The Center for Court Innovation, is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of The Holistic Defense for Public Defender Offices Technical Assistance Project. 2011 Participants of The Holistic Defense Technical Assistance Project Harris County Courts—Texas…
The Crime Report: Can the ‘Holistic Approach’ Solve The Crisis in Public Defense?
The Bronx Defenders’ method of Holistic Defense is explained in the article “Can the ‘Holistic Approach’ Solve The Crisis in Public Defense?” on thecrimereport.org. Can the ‘Holistic Approach’ Solve The Crisis in Public Defense? “Making changes in a resource-strained small county [Washoe County, Nevada] of 400,000 people seemed , however, all but impossible—until Bosler heard…
Journeys towards Justice: Let’s make this a movement: Holistic Advocacy”
The Center for Holistic Defense, a project of The Bronx Defenders, is mentioned in the blog “Justice for all”. In the post “Let’s make this a movement: Holistic Advocacy”, blog writer Akhila Kolisetty draws from The Bronx Defenders’ new model of public defense—Holistic Defense. The blog describes the “importance and necessity of holistic advocacy, and…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Reforming criminal justice system needs holistic tack
Former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court Leah Ward Sears mentioned The Bronx Defenders as a model for how public defender offices should operate! “There are proven alternatives in our state and across the country that are effective in helping people move past an arrest, address the problems that led to it, make its…
The Four Pillars of Holistic Defense
While recognizing that Holistic Defense is practiced along a spectrum, the following core principles, or pillars, underlie and form the foundation of any successful Holistic Defense practice: 1. Seamless access to services that meet clients’ legal and social support needs; 2. Dynamic, interdisciplinary communication; 3. Advocates with an interdisciplinary skill set; 4. A robust understanding…
The Center for Holistic Defense selects three Partner Public Defender Offices
The Center for Holistic Defense, sponsored by BJA and a project of The Bronx Defenders, has announced the recipients of its 2010 Holistic Defense for Public Defender Offices Technical Assistance Project. In response to its Request for Proposals, the Center received 23 applications from public defender offices across the country. The three offices chosen are…
The new Center for Holistic Defense
The Bronx Defenders is thrilled to announce our newest innovative venture—the creation and implementation of The Center for Holistic Defense. With funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and in collaboration with The Center for Court Innovation and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the Center will help fill a…