On Thursday, June 18, 10am on the Goodlett Steps of San Francisco City Hall, the community will rally in support of public defense and budget justice.Read More

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi said on Monday that the Mayor’s proposed $1.9 million cut to the Public Defender’s Office will cost the city millions more in the years ahead and take an unnecessary toll on poor people in the justice system.Read More

The first study to assess the impact of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office reentry social work program found that alternatives to incarceration, reduced sentencing, and avoided jail days obtained as a result of reentry advocacy saved California state prisons over $5,000,000 and San Francisco County over $1,000,000.Read More

The 2009 Justice Summit was the first focused effort by the California Public Defenders Association, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, Bar Association of San Francisco and the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office to bring awareness to the national crisis in public defense.Read More

Public defenders and defense attorneys from around California met in San Francisco today to discuss how budget cuts are affecting their work. What cuts are public defenders being asked to make, and how are those cuts impacting their ability to defend people accused of crimes who can't afford a lawyer?Read More

San Francisco Bay Guardian, Politics blog: While Mayor Gavin Newsom gallivants around the country...other city leaders are doing the hard work of restoring San Francisco values. On Wednesday, there are two shining examples of this uphill battle that take place on opposite ends of Civic Center Plaza. First, SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi hosts “Justice...Read More

Public Defenders, Criminal Justice Leaders from around U.S. to Convene in San Francisco SAN FRANCISCO – Over 300 people in support of public defense will gather on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 to hear Judge Thelton Henderson, senior federal judge of the Northern District of California, speak to the importance of the Sixth Amendment right to...Read More

San Francisco Examiner: A summit on the crucial role played by public defenders comes at a time of tension between the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and the mayor’s office.Read More

San Francisco Chronicle op-ed: In the famous 1963 case of Gideon vs. Wainwright, the Supreme Court unanimously held that the state must provide lawyers for those charged with serious crimes who cannot afford them. The court recognized that "lawyers in criminal courts are necessities, not luxuries" and that a fair trial was impossible without counsel...Read More

The Clean Slate Program 2007-2008 evaluation examines how efficiently Clean Slate delivers services and the impacts that Clean Slate services have on clients’ lives. The Clean Slate Program extends legal advocacy beyond an arrest or disposition by the court so that clients may avail themselves of opportunities to “clean up” their criminal records, even decades...Read More