Bail reform goes into effect in New York. Listen to this special episode to find out what it all means. Featuring Alice Fontier, The Bronx Defender’s Managing Director of the Criminal Defense Practice. Listen to the full podcast here
“Nearly five years ago, Jerome Murdough, an African-American Marine Corps veteran, died on Rikers Island due to a combination of injustice, inhumanity, and medical neglect. Afflicted by homelessness and mental illness, Murdough tragically passed away when temperatures in his cell reached 100 degrees – heat that was contraindicated with his medicine – and he baked…
“Alice Fontier, of the Bronx Defenders, also welcomes the change. “All of the evidence, the data from the years of the cash bail system demonstrates that what happens is that poor people stay in jail and people with money don’t,” Fontier says. As of Dec. 28, 50 to 60 pre-trial detainees were awaiting release on…
New York City Council Committee on Public Safety Re: Int 0487-2018: Creating Comprehensive Reporting and Oversight of NYPD Surveillance Technologies. December 18, 2019 Written Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Alice Fontier, Managing Director, Criminal Defense Practice Over the course of a decade, the New York Police Department has adopted surveillance technologies as a central…
“The City Council has proposed giving parents meaningful access to legal representation during an ACS investigation; like a suspect facing arrest, parents being investigated would have the chance to access legal help. Opponents of the bills claim access will make investigations more “adversarial,” even implying that children will be endangered. The first problem with this narrative is…
“Public defenders and justice advocates are calling on new NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea to abolish a policing tool he’s strongly defended: the department’s gang database. The “Erase the Database” campaign, to be launched Thursday, marks the latest in a yearslong effort to end collection of names and monitoring of the estimated 17,500 to 42,000 New Yorkers believed to be in…
“A new report unveiled today details how much harm both of these operations have reaped on New York’s Black and Brown teenagers. “Gang Takedowns In The De Blasio Era: The Dangers of Precision Policing” details how, through large scale conspiracy cases, how thousands of juveniles and adults were arrested and placed in a secretive gang…
“Equal justice before the law is a cruel myth. In New York’s criminal courts it is better to be guilty and rich than poor and innocent. Under current law, guilty defendants who can afford bail are promptly set free while innocent poor people must sit in jail. This predicament is being remedied by criminal justice…
Written Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Ivan Bohorquez, Civil Legal Advocate, Civil Action Practice New York City Council Committee on Justice System Hearing Regarding T2019-5492, A Local Law to amend the NYC Charter, in relation to mandating a citywide audit of collateral consequences for drug arrests and convictions December 11, 2019 The Civil Action…
“Advocates and elected officials celebrated upcoming changes to the state’s bail and discovery rules during a rally on the steps of City Hall Tuesday for Human Rights Day… On Jan. 1, laws requiring prosecutors to turn over a wider range of evidence in faster fashion will go into effect, as well as reforms to the…
New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Codes and Standing Committee on Correction Hearing re: Sealing of criminal records and expansion of youthful offender status December 10, 2019 Written Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Eli Northrup, Policy Counsel to the Criminal Defense Practice The sealing of criminal convictions is critical if New York wants…
An interview with The Bronx Defenders Here, Asia Piña and Crystal Baker-Burr, a social worker and an education attorney at The Bronx Defenders, warn parents that some schools may call in reports far more quickly than others. They suggest ways parents can navigate challenges and improve their relationship with their child’s school to avoid unnecessary…
New York City Council Committee on Justice System and Committee on Criminal Justice Oversight Hearing on Implementation and Expansion of RTA December 3, 2019 Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Stacey Kennard, Team Leader and Adolescent Defense Project Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice The Bronx Defenders forms relationships with hundreds of young clients every year. The…
“The city’s top legal defense organizations want state lawmakers and Gov. Cuomo to keep criminal justice reforms at the top of their to-do list as they prepare for next year’s legislative session. The Legal Aid Society, New York County Defender Services, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem issued a…
New York City Council Committee on Women and Gender Equity Oversight Hearing on the Gender Equity in NYC: Access, Resources, and Support for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming New Yorkers. November 27, 2019 Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Deborah Lolai, Supervising Attorney of LGBTQ Defense Practice My name is Deborah Lolai and I am the…
This was an incredible year for The Bronx Defenders (BxD). Thanks to individuals like you, we defended over 20,000 Bronx residents with low-incomes in criminal, civil, child welfare, and immigration cases annually. As the year comes to a close, there are many ways to help us make 2020 even more successful. Consider the 6 unique…
“Some advocates who spoke to lawmakers last week rejected the notion that prevention programs were a panacea, and argued that lawmakers should focus instead on improving legal representation for parents. “We have to stop talking about preventive services,” testified Emma Ketteringham, a managing attorney for the legal aid group Bronx Defenders. “I’m not saying that’s…
“As New York City looks toward implementing historic criminal justice reforms, the addition of 500 cops to deal with what is clearly an economic and social justice issue is unnecessary, cruel and counterproductive,” said Scott Levy, Chief Policy Counsel at The Bronx Defenders. “Every day, The Bronx Defenders and other public defenders citywide witness the devastating…
“Two Bronx residents are working to help their own through the nonprofit group The Bronx Defenders. News 12 spoke with Noemi Cotto and Carol Larancuent about their legal advocacy in the community” Watch the full video here
Assembly Standing Committee on Children and Families Assembly Task Force on Women’s Issues November 21, 2019 Hearing on Family Involvement in the Child Welfare and Family Court Systems Written Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Emma S. Ketteringham, Managing Director, Family Defense Practice Muriel Bell, Policy Advocate, Family Defense Practice Miriam Mack, Policy Counsel, Family…
“The temperature in the city at the time was that the police were at war with Black and brown people on the streets,” Jenn Rolnick-Borchetta, the director of impact litigation at the Bronx Defenders, told the New York Times. “And that is how people experienced it.” Statistics show that Black and Latino people were nine times…
“However, based on recent data, the number of stops multiplied increasingly, in 2011 and ended up reaching more than 600,000 instances. In 2013 it reached 191,851. During his three terms as a mayor of New York City, the number of stops based on the records of the police reached an approximate 5,081,689. According to the…
John sought asylum in the United States after being kidnapped in Nigeria for being bisexual. Upon his arrival, he was detained by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). “I was imprisoned for seven months. I was facing a lot of challenges in there,” says John. Carletta lost everything due to a minor interaction with the legal system….
“Lenora Easter, team leader of the early defense team at the criminal defense practice of The Bronx Defenders, urged the Council to close a loophole that allows officers discretion to not turn on their cameras in exigent circumstances. She also pushed for increasing the “buffering period” on officer cameras – the two types of cameras…
New York City Council Committee on Public Safety Hearing re: Body Worn Cameras November 18, 2019 Written Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Lenora Easter, Team Leader of the Early Defense Team, Criminal Defense Practice BxD expresses our qualified support for Int. No. 1136, which requires the NYPD to track and report important information about…