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232 Results
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Alabama legislators move to exonerate the Scottsboro Boys
Pleading the Sixth: In March 1931, a fight broke out between a group of seven white boys and a larger group of black teenagers aboard a train. When almost all of the white teenagers were thrown off of the slow-moving train, word was sent up ahead to detain the train…
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Alabama reforms spark expanded use of public defender model
Pleading the Sixth: The indigent defense reforms enacted in 2011 are starting to take root in Alabama. Rather than leading to a proliferation of flat-fee contracting, as some have feared, state funding has steadily increased under the reforms, prompting both Jefferson County (Birmingham) and Montgomery County (Montgomery) to begin creating public…
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Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services to run out of money in April 2013
Pleading the Sixth: The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services (MCILS) is predicting that it will run out of money to pay assigned counsel attorneys shortly after the 50th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright (March 2013). The unavailability of funds, combined with low hourly rates, is causing attorneys to leave…
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Idaho legislature contemplates initial reforms
Pleading the Sixth: The Idaho Criminal Justice Commission offered initial indigent defense reforms that have been introduced in the House of Representatives. The proposed reforms seek to, among other things: create a statewide uniform standard for who may get public counsel; clarify the types of cases to which the right to…
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Missouri Bar weighs in on workload crisis as the legislature debates privatizing much of the public defender’s work
Pleading the Sixth: A new bill introduced in the Missouri legislature would resolve the public defender caseload crisis by restricting the state public defender to representation in only serious felony cases while privatizing services for all other case-types through low-bid contracts. The Missouri Bar’s, Criminal Justice Task Force also weighs…
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Texas judges ask out of indigent defense oversight
Pleading the Sixth: In an effort to meet the American Bar Association’s Ten Principles, judges in Travis County, Texas (Austin) created a plan to remove themselves from the oversight and administration of public defense services. Will the proposed “managed assigned counsel” plan become a model for the rest of Texas? Recognizing that…
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Williamson County TX settles “no counsel court” lawsuit
Pleading the Sixth: Williamson County, Texas settled a class action lawsuit alleging that judges engaged in a “systematic and deliberate scheme” to deprive “persons accused of misdemeanor offenses of their right to be represented by counsel.” By agreeing to set up systemic assurances that appointment procedures will be transparent and…
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The United Nations takes the Ten Principles international
Pleading the Sixth: The United Nations General Assembly adopted new Principles and Guidelines for how member states should deliver indigent defense services. Drafted to help emerging nations grappling with equal justice concerns, the U.N. document can help us hold a mirror up to our own deficient indigent defense systems here…
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Independence jeopardized with public defender reorganization plan in King County, Washington
Pleading the Sixth: King County, Washington (Seattle) released a plan for the reorganization of its right to counsel system. Long-regarded as an indigent defense “best practice” jurisdiction, the County proposes to eliminate independence while transitioning the staff of the four non-profit public defender agencies to county employees. King County points…
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The clock runs out on Michigan reform for this year
Pleading the Sixth: At 4:30 AM on December 14, 2012, time ran out for indigent defense reform in Michigan for this year, as HB 5804 was not able to make it through the Senate before the final bell of the legislative session. Undeterred, public defense reform advocates, including key legislative…
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DOJ announces an agreement with Shelby County, Tennessee (Memphis) to reform juvenile justice system
Pleading the Sixth: On December 18, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an agreement with Shelby County, Tennessee (Memphis) to usher in major reforms of the county’s juvenile court system and the method for representing children in delinquency proceedings. Sweeping changes are afoot, including systemic safeguards, such as “independence,”…
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Criminal justice issues that disproportionately harm poor people, such as wrongful convictions and over-incarceration, cannot be fixed if indigent defendants are given attorneys who do not have the time, resources, or qualifications, to be a constitutional check on government. Yet, investment in improving indigent defense services remains largely neglected. The Sixth Amendment Center is the only nonprofit organization in the country that exclusively examines, uncovers, and helps fix the root of the indigent defense crisis in which inequality is perpetuated because poor defendants do not get a fair fight.
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