About
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office is and always has been at the forefront of criminal justice reform. Established in 1921, its long, proud history of providing top-notch representation to indigent defendants predates most public defender offices in the country.
Well before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision of Gideon v. Wainwright, which proclaimed that indigent defendants in criminal trials had a fundamental right to a lawyer, the Office was defending the rights of the poor and championing programs to help San Franciscans turn their lives around.