San Francisco—An innovative pilot program through the San Francisco Public Defender’s office has saved nearly a million dollars of taxpayer money and thousands of jail beds during its first five months of operation, according to a study released today by the California Policy Lab at University of California Berkeley. The Pretrial Release Unit (PRU), staffed...Read More

Matt Gonzalez and Francisco Ugarte, whose client Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was acquitted of murder following a high profile trial last year, have been named Defenders of the Year by the California Public Defenders Association.Read More

A police officer of Afghan descent alleges he is the target of retaliation after reporting racial and religious discrimination at the hands of his San Francisco Police Department colleagues, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced today.Read More

A federal judge this week ordered authorities to immediately free a homeless man from jail after he was repeatedly denied a constitutionally adequate bail hearing in San Francisco Superior Court.Read More

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi released the following statement today in response to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ announcement he would sue California over its immigration laws, as well as Sessions’ speech vowing to use every power possible to challenge our state’s sanctuary status.Read More

Join us Tuesday, Feb. 20 in front of the Hall of Justice as we call for an end to money bail and ensure people know how recent changes to the bail laws will benefit their loved ones. Simultaneous rallies will be held at courthouses across California.Read More

A homeless man was acquitted of criminal threats after jurors saw footage of a police officer in the case appearing to intentionally turn off his body camera while talking to the man’s accuser, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced today.Read More

Jacque Wilson, a longtime deputy public defender in San Francisco, has been honored for his pro bono work on racial and educational justice in Modesto’s public schools.Read More

A man falsely accused of masturbating in public has been cleared of sex charges after a jury determined he was unloading stolen candy from his trousers, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced today.Read More

A case involving a San Francisco retiree jailed for allegedly stealing cologne has sparked a legal decision that promises to transform California’s approach to bail, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced today.Read More