News and Press Releases

Head of the Youth Defender Unit Responds to DA’s Harmful Juvenile Policy SAN FRANCISCO – On September 13, 2022, Emily Goldman, the Managing Attorney of the Youth Defender Unit of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, issued the following statement in response to interim San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’s newly announced juvenile justice policies which opened the door to...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 9, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** SF Public Defender’s Office Lauds City Attorney’s Dismissal of Tenderloin Injunctions  Court of Appeal Decision Could Set Precedent for the State SAN FRANCISCO – After a nearly two-year legal battle, the San Francisco City Attorney has dismissed the 28 civil injunction lawsuits...

Having any type of contact with the criminal legal system can have far-reaching consequences on one’s ability to move forward, even decades later. Arrests and convictions can show up on background checks, often creating barriers to housing, education, and jobs. It’s part of the vicious cycle that keeps people from reaching personal and professional goals, or even meeting their basic...

In August 2022, Deputy Public Defender Crystal Carpino learned that the nascent Restorative Justice court program was being halted under the administration of appointed interim District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, meaning that no one else is being allowed into the small program which has been steadily growing with much early success. The reasons given for this “temporary” halt have been inconsistent,...

Public Defender Raju Opposes DA Jenkins’s Bail Policies SAN FRANCISCO — Today, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins released her policy around pre-trial detention and money bail. In response, San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju issues the following statement: “Even before District Attorney Jenkins issued this policy, we’ve seen her office expand the use of money bail to detain people...