Article 1: Community Justice Center update
You may have heard or read that the new Community “Justice” Center (CJC) opened last week. Based on Brooklyn’s Red Hook Community Justice Center,...
Innocent Man, Strip-Searched and Misidentified by Police, Acquitted of Drug Sales
San Francisco, CA – A San Francisco man, who was strip-searched and misidentified by police, was acquitted of drug sales in 70 minutes after...
Study on Racial Disparity in Criminal Justice System Underscores Need for...
The need for a well-resourced and comprehensive public defense system was made evident in a study released yesterday by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) indicating that African Americans and Hispanics are over-represented in the criminal justice system and more likely to require a public defender than their Caucasian counterparts.
San Francisco Man Found Not Guilty of First Degree Murder
San Francisco, CA - Demetrius Hill, 20, was acquitted yesterday afternoon of first degree murder in connection with the May 3, 2008 shooting death...
SF Public Defender Calls Supervisor’s Audit a Waste of Public Resources
San Francisco, CA – San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi on Thursday promised cooperation with Supervisor Sean Elsbernd’s call for an audit of the...
Ex-Gang Member, Intent on Reforming Life, Set Back by Gang Injunction...
"There is no way for a single person to know the identity of every gang member in the Mission. How can we punish a person for standing with people he has no reason to believe he is prohibited from associating with?” said Deputy Public Defender Lopez.
Woman, Who Testifies to Drug Addiction, is Acquitted of Meth Possession...
In April 2006, Kaake was detained by San Francisco Police Officers Peter Richardson and Michael Moody after a supposed informant reported that Kaake was going to make a drug delivery. According to Kaake, an admitted methamphetamine addict, police searched her car without a warrant and found a digital scale, eight empty baggies, and 15 grams of methamphetamine in a CD case, which she explained was for personal use. The arresting officers testified that they recovered these items from Kaake’s pocket.
Public Defender to Decline Clients Due to Case Overload and Inadequate...
San Francisco, CA – The City’s refusal to provide cost-effective legal representation to indigent criminal defendants will force the Public Defender’s Office to turn...
Man Accused of Physically Abusing Partner Acquitted After 45-Minute Jury Deliberation
San Francisco, CA – On Monday, January 5, 2009, Jeremy Womack, 30, was acquitted of battery on a partner and battery on a partner...
Mentally Ill Woman, Shot Six Times by Police Officers in Her...
Teresa Sheehan, 56, was acquitted today of one count of making criminal threats. The jury hung 11-1 in favor of finding her not guilty of two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of assault on a peace officer. Sheehan, who suffers from schizo-affective disorder, was shot six times by San Francisco police officers during the incident that resulted in her arrest and prosecution.