2013 Community-Oriented Defender Network Conference
The Brennan Center for Justice hosted the 2013 Community-Oriented Defender Network Conference on July 25-26, 2013 at NYU School of Law. Sessions focused on listening to client voices, developing holistic internal office culture, discussion and demonstrations of low-cost Holistic Defense Practices ready for implementation, and recent legal developments relevant to Holistic Defense. Click here for the complete agenda of this year's conference.
Highlights included:
- Keynote speech and Q&A with Andrew Cohen, award-winning journalist and Brennan Center Fellow. Andrew spoke about the roles of defenders and journalists, as well as their power as story tellers, in the fight against mass incarceration.
- A presentation in honor of John Stuart. John has served as the State Public Defender of Minnesota since 1990 and will be retiring next year. The COD Network took a memorable look back at the important contributions he has made and the changes he has seen in the state of public defense. John also spoke about his hopes and optimism for the future.
- The 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright remained an important focus throughout the conference. Amber Baylor, former Staff Attorney at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, presented about ongoing project collecting oral histories of defenders and a panel featuring Carlos Martinez (Public Defender for Miami-Dade), Mark Houldin (Defender Counsel, National Legal Aid & Defender Association), and Christopher Durocher (Government Affairs Counsel, Criminal Justice Program, The Constitution Project) focused on the current state of indigent defense, the progress and struggles of the last 50 years, and visions for the future.
- Discussions also looked forward, exploring ideas and paths for reform at both the federal and state levels. Edwin Burnette, President of the Defender Legal Services at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, moderated two panels: the first explored federal policy issues and reforms and their impacts on the Right to Counsel and holistic defense, and the second focused on a variety of state policy reforms, including a discussion on strategies for reform and ongoing defender community issues.
About the COD Network
The Community-Oriented Defender Network is a coalition of public defender offices and related service providers coordinated by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law since 2003. COD Network members seek to address the needs of clients beyond the immediate criminal case, to engage in systemic reform of failed criminal justice policies, and to enlist the involvement of community members in developing and implementing these problem-solving approaches. Nine years after its founding, the COD Network includes nearly 200 members, including 60 defender programs.
The COD Network holds an annual conference to bring together various members of the defender community to exchange ideas and keep each other updated about relevant developments such as promising research or strategies that improve the practice, new state or federal legislation, and litigation successes.
Learn more about the Brennan Center's broader work to reform the criminal justice system
