On April 16, 2014, Pro Bono Attorney Annie Pineda will be speaking at a Practice Law Institute Seminar entitled “How to Handle Your First Pro Bono Case in New York 2014.” From PLI: “Pro bono representation is a vital component to ensuring access to justice for low-income New Yorkers. In addition, New York State now…
The criminal justice system can sometimes feed the poverty cycle, even for people who are eventually found not guilty. The Bronx Defenders is helping low-income defendants navigate the justice system.
NPR’s Tell Me More program interviews Executive Director Robin Steinberg and a Bronx Defenders client about the impact of our work at The Bronx Defenders.
(more…)
Alberto Ramos was a 21-year-old college student and part-time substitute teacher’s aide, aspiring to be a teacher, when he was accused and then convicted in 1985 of raping a five-year-old in the Bronx day-care center where he worked. In a case based largely on the child’s sworn testimony, Ramos was accused of taking a girl…
De esta manera un grupo de personas en proceso de deportación están recibiendo ayuda legal para su condición en EE.UU. (more…)
Un proyecto que se adelanta en la ciudad de Nueva York ayuda a cientos de indocumentados de escasos recursos a que no sean deportados. (more…)
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…
Sarah received her M.S.W. from the Columbia University School of Social Work in 2013, concentrating in social welfare policy. While at Columbia, Sarah interned with the Correctional Association of New York, monitoring conditions of confinement in New York State prisons and advocating for progressive, systemic change. Sarah also interned with the Legal Aid Society Juvenile…
Watch Criminal Defense Practice Supervisor Michael Oppenheimer and Bronx Defenders client James Broadus on ABC’s ‘Here and Now’ discussing Holistic Defense, the work of the organization, and the impact of the Bronx Freedom Fund. ‘Here and Now’ is a weekly one hour program, airing on ABC in New York City, dedicated to covering the issues and…
Brian Lehrer, of WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show, discusses crime rates, policing strategies, and criminal justice policy in New York City during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s first months in office with Murray Weiss, criminal justice reporter and editor for DNAInfo, and with The Bronx Defenders’ Robin Steinberg. Listen to the full segment on WNYC here.
The Bronx Defenders’ Focus on Fathers project is inspiring discussion in New York City about the unique challenges fathers face in family court proceedings that involve their children. On February 6, 2014, Focus on Fathers coordinators, Mara Fleder, a Family Defense Attorney, and Keston Jones, a Parent Advocate, organized and participated on a Continuing Legal…
NEW YORK — Anderson Cadet arrived at the Varick Street courthouse in an orange jumpsuit, shackled at the wrists, prepared to fight his deportation without an attorney. In immigration court, there is generally no right to free legal counsel. Many immigrants represent themselves. But on this cold February morning, Cadet was greeted by a public…
On March 14, 2014, Jenay Nurse, Director of The Bronx Defenders Adolescent Defense Project, will facilitate a breakout session at CUNY’s 3rd Annual Supporting Excellence Conference. Jenay will lead a discussion entitled “Utilizing a Holistic Defense Model to Address the Problems Faced by Teens who are Prosecuted as Adults.” From CUNY: This year, the Supporting Excellence…
On April 4, 2014, Criminal Defense Practice Supervisor Mark Loudon-Brown will lead a panel at the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers ‘Cross to Kill’ CLE. The panel will discuss strategies and techniques related to cross examining DNA experts at trial. From NYSACDL: The introduction of scientific and medical witnesses and evidence present…
In the new, gentrified post-9/11 New York City, gone are the days when a visitor’s trip to Times Square might include aggressive panhandling, a mugging or an uncomfortable exchange with a prostitute. But gone, too, are $900 apartments in the East Village, Soho artists lofts that artists can actually afford and $150-a-night hotel rooms that…
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
Robin Steinberg, Founder and Executive Director of The Bronx Directors, is delivering the keynote address at the 2014 RebLaw Conference at Yale Law School. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the annual Rebellious Lawyering Conference. RebLaw is the nation’s largest student-run public interest conference. Every year the conference brings together practitioners, law students, and…
The Parent Support Group, led by clients of The Bronx Defenders, was organized with the vision that through peer support, parents can find some normalcy and guidance in their sometimes challenging experiences. Members of the group sit down regularly over food, conversation, and group-led activities to discuss their situations in a positive way.
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Oscar Hernández se disponía a firmar su orden de deportación a México cuando un joven abogado que no conocía se presentó en la corte migratoria de Nueva York y le convenció de que no lo hiciera. Ahora Hernández ya no lleva el uniforme naranja de preso: camina libre, trabaja y estudia…
Nueva York — Sentados en fila sucesiva en una modesta banqueta y mirando casi todo el tiempo al suelo, cinco personas esposadas y con indumentaria color naranja aguardaban ayer su turno para acercarse a la mesa de la juez de la Corte de Inmigración de Nueva York, Noelle Brennan. Es una imagen habitual en esa…
In the 1990s, a time of vexing homicide rates in cities across the country, William J. Bratton left the New York Police Department and began marketing the crime-fighting techniques he had deployed so successfully here to other municipalities struggling with rampant disorder. At the time, business and civic leaders in Birmingham, Ala., brought him on…
As a Public Benefits Advisor at The Bronx Defenders, I have seen the devastating effects of the recent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP benefits – formerly called “food stamps” – help low-income Americans feed their families. When Congress allowed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to sunset on November 1st of…
The Bronx Defenders welcomes the concrete step taken today by the de Blasio administration to drop New York City’s appeal of the federal district court rulings in the stop-and-frisk cases. Today, the City has filed a motion in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals that seeks a remand to the Southern District to resolve these…
A motion to resolve two cases that accuse the New York City Police Department of unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices was filed Thursday in the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the proposed settlement at a Thursday press conference. According to a statement from his office, the city and…
Safer and Stronger: Policy Recommendations for Community Safety in the Bronx Download the PDF here: The Bronx Defenders – Safer and Stronger 2014 The Bronx Defenders provides holistic and client-centered criminal defense, family defense, immigration defense, civil legal services, social work support, and community advocacy to indigent people of the Bronx. Our staff of over 200 represents 35,000…
