On Halloween, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case illustrating how people and society suffer when indigent defense systems are chronically underfunded. The Court will decide whether the Constitution is violated when an attorney’s advice to reject a plea bargain is based on a laughably poor legal error.
As states struggle to close persistent budget gaps, they are searching for ways to raise revenue. But imposing more fees on those in the criminal justice system is not the answer.
Vote will determine funding for civil legal services and prisoner re-entry programs, and the creation of a commission to study our nation's criminal justice system.
The Maryland legislature this week took an important step toward helping formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate successfully into society. In the final hours of the legislative session, it passed a bill that promises to reform a significant financial burden the state has placed on persons on parole.
This week, Congress made two important advances involving two key pieces of criminal justice legislation that are part of the Brennan Center’s criminal justice advocacy efforts.
Three victories in court this week, and each represent important steps forward in ongoing national efforts to strengthen the role of the courts, secure the right to counsel, and hold government accountable to the rule of law. Read more...
A lawsuit challenging Michigan’s inadequate defense services for the poor received an important victory on Friday, when the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the suit could go forward. New York could take a cue from Michigan; a similar lawsuit is pending in the NY courts.
The U.S. criminal justice system is burdened by myriad problems ranging from over-incarceration to racial and ethnic disparities in prosecutions. In the long term, the high costs of incarceration and the effects of a flawed system are unsustainable.
