Begun in 1990 by the Vera Institute of Justice in partnership with New York City and New York State, the 5-year project operated alongside the far larger Legal Aid Society. The NDS differed from traditional public defenders in its relationship to client base, staff structure, and priorities. The NDS represented individuals accused of crimes who could not afford private lawyers and was based in the community. Instead of waiting for the court to assign the NDS to represent a client, the NDS encouraged Harlem residents to call the office any time. In contrast to the usual practice of assigning a client to a single attorney, each NDS client was represented by a team. The NDS assigned the highest priority to investigating and advocating for clients at the start of their cases, sometimes even before arrest. Further, the NDS was able to deal with the social realities of neighborhood disputes that court-based prosecutors were rarely familiar with. Although the NDS was cost-effective in that clients received significantly shorter sentences, the NDS did not significantly reduce detention decisions at the initial bail hearing. The author believes the experiences gained from the NDS can inform the development of public defenders and the community justice movement in general. 2 notes and 1 photograph
Downloads
Similar Publications
- Criminal Justice Interventions for Offenders With Mental Illness: Evaluation of Mental Health Courts in Bronx and Brooklyn, New York, Executive Summary
- Public Danger as Factor in Pretrial Release, Volume II - Final Report
- Understanding rapport-building in investigative interviews: Does rapport's effect on witness memory and suggestibility depend on the interviewer?