We meet with clients within hours of them being booked into the San Francisco County Jail. We start to investigate the facts and circumstances of their arrest before arraignment, build a robust case for release from jail, and work to connect clients to services in the community.
We advocate for San Francisco’s youth, disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline by supporting the legal and collateral needs of youth in the Juvenile Court and providing them with intensive reentry planning and case management services.
We stand up to the federal government to protect our vibrant immigrant community by representing non-citizens and longtime community members facing deportation. We also advise them of the immigration consequences of criminal charges and to ensure due process.
We advocate for clients to participate in treatment programs through Mental Health Diversion, Behavioral Health Court, the Community Justice Center, Drug Court, Young Adult Court, and Veterans’ Court under appropriate circumstances.
We champion second chances by filing motions to expunge and clear clients’ criminal records, opening doors to employment opportunities, professional licenses, housing, and education.
We press for changes in local and state laws that harm our clients and their communities, and raise awareness through public outreach, media, and community-building with the goal of transforming the criminal legal system so it lives up to its promises of fairness, equity, and justice.
We are the first line of defense against the government’s ability to abuse its power. We believe that the rule of law applies equally to law enforcement and when we witness them betraying the principles they are entrusted to uphold, we file misconduct complaints on behalf of the community. Through our CopMonitor database, we track any misconduct and make the information publicly available.
We fight for the release and successful reentry for those who have been punished under laws that disproportionately sentence poor people and people of color to longer terms in state prison.
Our social workers prepare social histories, gather mitigating evidence, and connect clients to services, including mental health and/or substance use treatment, housing, employment, education, and other support in the community.
Our MAGIC (Mobilization for Adolescent Growth in our Communities) Programs work to keep our kids out of the criminal legal system by empowering community organizations to solve systemic problems. We partner with nonprofits and service providers that focus on the educational, economic, and health of disadvantaged children, youth, and their families, particularly in the Bayview and Fillmore/Western Addition.
We rely on the collective wisdom of nonprofits and service providers all over San Francisco – from the Latino Tak Force in the Mission to Sunset Youth Services in the Avenues – to end harmful policies and seek community-centered solutions to further public safety.
In partnership with Teachers for Social Justice, Opportunities for All, and the city’s Human Rights Commission, we empower and invest in high school students to be a part of our team and provide public defense in our criminal justice system.