News and Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 16, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org;  Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org | (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** SF Public Defenders and Community Hold Mock Trial to Indict the Court for Violating Speedy Trial Rights Amid Oppressive Backlog Public Defenders filed motions for release for a dozen clients languishing in jail & a batch of motions to dismiss cases...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org;  Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org | (628)249-7946 **MEDIA ADVISORY** TOMORROW: SF Public Defenders & Community to Hold a Mock Trial on steps of 850 Bryant to “Open the Courts and Free Our People” Over 150 people languish indefinitely in SF jails without trial as the Superior Court continues to violate state...

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...