Press Release Archives

Press Release: Hearing on Participatory Defense

Posted on December 10, 2018August 2, 2023 by 2010admin

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][dt_fancy_image image_id=”15404″ width=”200″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″ offset=”vc_col-lg-1 vc_col-md-1″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]For further information, contact:
Mandy Nace, 267-765-6319/215-806-0775

Special Committee on Criminal Justice Reform Highlights the Importance of Participatory Defense

PHILADELPHIA (Dec. 10, 2018) Philadelphia’s Special Committee for Criminal Justice Reform co-chair Keir Bradford-Grey, along with fellow co-chairs Councilman Curtis Jones and retired Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, convened a hearing on participatory defense, a community-driven approach to criminal justice reform that brings families and communities together to create better outcomes and sustainable solutions.

“Participatory defense is transforming the landscape of power in the criminal justice system,” said Chief Defender Keir Bradford-Grey. “As we work with dynamic community organizers to establish participatory defense hubs across our city, we humanize the justice process and reduce our over-reliance on incarceration by helping individuals and their families at the pre-entry stage, or before trial. Right now, people are leaving our jails more desperate, having lost their housing, their benefits, and other supports. Community involvement through participatory defense can change that.

“I’m pleased that our city’s Special Committee on Criminal Justice Reform could provide an opportunity for the people who have made participatory defense a success here in our city to share their experiences. Today is just the start of a longer conversation about how we can expand participatory defense and change the way we approach criminal justice reform.”

Facilitators from Philadelphia’s first three community hubs testified about their work to support individuals, their families, and the larger community through participatory defense. Hub facilitators Steve Austin and Valerie Todd, along with volunteer Pastor Harrod Clay, represented the Mothers in Charge Best Outcomes Hub, which meets every Tuesday evening in center city. Bethany Stewart and Kris Eden discussed their work to establish the South Philadelphia Hub which meets every Monday evening at Circle of Hope Church. Akeem Sims and Nupur Shridhar shared stories about their work at the Kingsessing Hub, which meets every Thursday at the Kingsessing Recreation Center.

The transformative power of participatory defense was amplified by former hub client Nicole Dorrell and Zakiyyah Salahuddin, a South Philly mother who became an active supporter for participatory defense after the hubs supported her son through a difficult case that ended with the dismissal of all charges.

“I can’t begin to explain how much this support means to me,” said Salahuddin. “At every step of the way, our lawyers and community supporters were right there with us. It’s hard to put into words how much that has helped us.”

Assistant Defender Isis Misdary described the power of participatory defense to influence the justice process. “As an attorney who referred several of my own cases to the participatory defense hubs, I can tell you that communities want a say in how their communities can be safer. The system dismantles and disrupts not only families, but also the communities in which individuals and their families live. By removing the person from her family, her community, we remove an opportunity for the community to intervene with a member of their own to heal and move forward.

“Participatory Defense unites communities and stakeholders in a collaborative pursuit of justice. We are changing how communities and stakeholders work together, and we’re transforming not only individual cases, but also, through individual cases, transforming the system itself and by extension, our communities.”

The Defender Association is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides high-quality, client-centered legal representation, connection to social services, and re-entry support to adults and juveniles in Philadelphia. Our organization represents more than 60 percent of adults and juveniles arrested in the City of Philadelphia. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″ offset=”vc_col-lg-1 vc_col-md-1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Press Release: Risk Assessment

Posted on December 6, 2018August 2, 2023 by 2010admin

Sentencing Commission’s Proposed Risk Assessment Algorithm Will Increase Mass Incarceration

HARRISBURG (Dec. 6, 2018) The Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission’s risk assessment tool will put more Pennsylvanians behind bars by relying on racially-biased data and punishing people based on what they might do rather than what they have done. Defender Association Policy Director Mark Houldin shared these and other concerns with the commission in a public hearing today about the proposed assessment tool.

“The current risk assessment algorithm would exacerbate mass incarceration and further crowd our prisons – increasing costs to taxpayers and destroying lives and families in the process,” said Houldin. “One reason for this is the disastrously low accuracy rate. When the tool says someone is “risky” it’s correct only 52 percent of the time. That’s barely more accurate than a coin flip.”

Compounding the inaccuracy of the proposed risk assessment tool, Houldin believes that the results would perpetuate existing racial bias and stereotypes that plague our criminal justice system.

“The Defender Association has been leading the fight against these computer-based predictions for years because they destroy a client’s right to be seen as an individual at sentencing. Creating another one-size-fits-all approach will threaten years of progress to reduce the number of Pennsylvanians behind bars.

“As Defender Association attorneys, we know the people we represent. Our clients have unique stories and circumstances, and we work to make sure decisions that affect them are individualized and fair. The Sentencing Commission’s proposed risk assessment tool would drag the justice system into past practices that the public overwhelmingly rejects.”

Defender Association Bail Navigator LaTonya Myers also testified at the hearing, sharing her personal experience in the criminal justice system to emphasize the ways that the proposed risk assessment tool will overlook individual circumstances and experiences, and preclude the possibility for personal growth and rehabilitation.

The Sentencing Commission’s hearing in Harrisburg was the first of six public meetings across Pennsylvania to hear public input about the proposed risk assessment tool. The Defender Association also plans to participate in the public hearing on Dec. 12 in Philadelphia.

Mark Houldin is the Policy Director of the Defender Association of Philadelphia. The Defender Association is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides high-quality, client-centered legal representation, connection to social services, and re-entry support to adults and juveniles in Philadelphia. Our organization represents more than 60 percent of adults and juveniles arrested in the City of Philadelphia. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″ offset=”vc_col-lg-1 vc_col-md-1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Press Release: Project SUCCESS

Posted on November 8, 2018August 2, 2023 by 2010admin

Project SUCCESS will provide educational advocacy for youth in the criminal justice system

PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 8, 2018) The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) has awarded the Defender Association a $150,000 Justice Assistance Grant to launch Project SUCCESS (Strengthening and Understanding Court-Involved Children’s Education Supports & Services).

When children do better in school, they are less likely to be involved in the court system. Project SUCCESS will significantly reduce the overreliance on youth placements outside of the home due to truancy and educational issues. Defender Association attorneys and staff, along with project stakeholders, will provide support for youth, families, and educators to support young people’s success in diversion programs and assist in the educational needs of youth returning from placement.

“Every kid in Philadelphia deserves access to high-quality education – including those involved in the criminal justice system,” said Chief Defender Keir Bradford-Grey. “Project SUCCESS will help youth and their families get the necessary resources to support academic success and reduce further involvement in the juvenile justice system. We’re grateful to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency for supporting our work to improve the strength and safety of our communities by ensuring justice-involved children’s educational needs are thoroughly addressed.”

Writing in support of the project, Philadelphia City Councilmember Helen Gym added, “This project fills an existing gap in juvenile justice services by directly supporting the educational needs of court-involved youth. A combination of school policies, a lack of resources, and an increased presence of law enforcement in Philadelphia schools combine to push youth of color, youth with disabilities, and LGBT-GNC youth out of school and into the justice system at disproportionate rates. This program will add critical value to existing reform measures and strengthen efforts to ensure that youth do not end up in the juvenile justice system for issues that can be addressed through education supports and services in local schools and communities.”

Project SUCCESS will not only support youth access to education in the justice system, but will reduce school-based arrests, support more pre-trial diversion programs for youth with educational needs, and ultimately help kids stay in school.

In 2016, issues such as truancy, lateness, and poor school performance/behavior were cited in nearly one of every three cases resulting in out-of-home placement. By providing community-based alternatives that address a child’s educational needs as an alternative to out-of-home placement, Project SUCCESS will save taxpayer dollars and create better outcomes for youth, families, and communities.

“Project SUCCESS will allow us to problem-solve educational issues to set kids on the right track for a fulfilling life,” said Leola Hardy, chief of the Defender Association’s Children and Youth Justice Unit. “By referring kids to Project SUCCESS, we can ensure their critical access to high-quality education isn’t limited by the court system.”

The Defender Association also plans to develop a case management system to track and evaluate youth clients working with Project SUCCESS to support sustainability of the project beyond the PCCD grant.

The Defender Association is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides high-quality, client-centered legal representation, connection to social services, and re-entry support to adults and juveniles in Philadelphia. Our organization represents more than 70 percent of adults and youth arrested in the City of Philadelphia.

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Press Release: Statement on Changes to 528

Posted on October 11, 2018August 2, 2023 by 2010admin

Defender Association Chief Comments on Philadelphia Courts’ Changes to Bail Retention Fees

PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 11, 2018) Defender Association Chief Keir Bradford-Grey issued the following comments on the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania’s Order No. 2 of 2018 amending Philadelphia Criminal Rule *528 to provide a pathway for the return of the entire amount of cash bail payments:

“Philadelphians will now have an opportunity to get back their full cash bail deposits at the completion of their cases. Changing this rule is long overdue and comes thanks to a strong partnership between community members, the community’s lawyers at the Defender Association, and their public officials.

“Like so many reforms to our city and particularly our criminal justice system, this improvement started with a community conversation. I’d like to thank Councilman Johnson and state representative Joanna McClinton for convening a town hall, for hearing the concerns of advocates and community members about bail fees, and for taking action on this issue.

“Addressing bail fees is a critical step on the path toward the complete elimination of cash bail in Philadelphia.

“Even now, so many Philadelphians are sitting in jail because they cannot afford to pay their bail. Working together, we can engage and empower communities to play a more active role in our criminal justice system and stop routinely incarcerating people pretrial.”

Keir Bradford-Grey is the Chief Defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia. The Defender Association is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides high-quality, client-centered legal representation, connection to social services, and re-entry support to adults and juveniles in Philadelphia. Our organization represents more than 70 percent of adults and juveniles arrested in the City of Philadelphia. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″ offset=”vc_col-lg-1 vc_col-md-1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]