PHILADELPHIA–“In today’s budget address, Mayor Kenney outlined a bold, progressive, yet practical vision for Philadelphia. “The Defender Association of Philadelphia is particularly encouraged by the Mayor’s plan to take a multifaceted, community-informed approach to public safety. Mayor Kenney’s commitment to reforming our justice system by investing in re-entry, juvenile justice reforms and the eventual…
PHILADELPHIA–“The sudden termination of Montgomery County’s top defenders, Dean Beer (chief) and Keisha Hudson (deputy) chief is a stunning move that will have a negative, chilling effect on public defenders who want to provide the best possible representation for indigent clients. “Beer and Hudson were doing the critical work of not just representing their…
Keir Bradford-Grey testified before the PA Sentencing Commission in opposition to ODARA and other Risk Assessment tools on February 19, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 13, 2020 CONTACT: George Jackson | 267.765.6768 | gjackson@philadefender.org The funds will be used to fund technology upgrades to support indigent defense. PHILADELPHIA—State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) joined Chief Defender Keir Bradford-Grey to announce the Defender Association of Philadelphia was the recipient of a $250,000 grant award. The funding comes from the…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 7, 2020 CONTACT: George Jackson | 267.765.6768 | gjackson@philadefender.org PHILADELPHIA–“The Defender Association of Philadelphia would like to applaud the Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI) for the public and courageous reversal of their previous position on pre-trial risk assessment tools. As they noted in their latest position paper, these tools ‘can no…
About Shop Talk Philadelphia has an existing network of barbershops owned by credible community leaders, who have partnered with the Defender Association’s Children & Youth Justice (CYJ) Unit to bring various programs and services directly to these communities through a series of public events known as “Shop Talk” These events are staffed by Defender attorneys,…
Pre-entry Coalition The Defender is working with community groups to provide social supports that address non-criminalgenic behavoirs that negatively impact their experience with the justice system. Overview: What is pre-entry? Pre-entry coalition launch, December , 2019 Pretrial and Bail Reform In March 2019, the Defender Association of Philadelphia presented a way to eliminate money bail…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 10, 2020 CONTACT: George Jackson | 267.765.6768 | gjackson@philadefender.org PHILADELPHIA–The Defender Association of Philadelphia has been awarded a $25,000 from the R.K. Mellon Family Foundation to support the work of Philadelphia’s Participatory Defense Hubs. The award follows a $100,000 Key to Community grant from the Malinda R. Farrow Fund of the…
It was a truly great year for the Defender Association of Philadelphia! In 2019, the hard work of our practice units, community partnerships, and other departments led to some major achievements and accomplishments! Here are some highlights: We welcomed a diverse and talented class of new attorneys… …
PHILADELPHIA–“The Defender Association of Philadelphia congratulates and welcomes Philadelphia’s new Police Commissioner, Danielle Outlaw. “As Philadelphia’s Public Defender, our work has been a driving force behind renewed calls for more effective policing, particularly as it relates to law enforcement practices in the city’s black and brown neighborhoods. Mayor Kenney’s selection of the city’s first…
