News and Press Releases

We’re excited to announce our Young Defenders Program – a 40-week paid internship for 25 high school students focused on criminal justice issues. It’s a unique collaboration between the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, Mayor Breed’s Opportunities for All initiative, Teachers for Social Justice, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and SF Unified School District. Read the SF Chronicle’s article...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, August 3, 2020 Contact:         Public Defender’s Office, Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org  Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org  ***PRESS RELEASE*** MAYOR LONDON BREED AND PUBLIC DEFENDER MANO RAJU ANNOUNCE YOUNG DEFENDERS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Paid internship program, created in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Human Rights Commission, and Teachers 4 Social Justice, provides 25 public high school students...

The Davis Vanguard reported: Efforts to Release Incarcerated from San Quentin Move Forward in Marin County Superior Court. The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office is part of a team of regional attorneys representing over 300 individual petitioners from San Quentin in a consolidated case of habeas corpus in Marin County Superior Court. “If the state cannot take care of the...

NBC News report from Jacob Ward – Coronavirus cases, deaths at San Quentin prison blamed on mismanagement – interviewed the sister of an incarcerated man at San Quentin seeking information from CDCR, and advocates describing the dangerous and challenging conditions for people in San Quentin during a massive outbreak of COVID-19. He also interviewed Jacque Wilson of the San Francisco...

Effort to Release People Incarcerated at San Quentin Moves Forward In Marin County Superior Court  Habeas petitions allege that California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation actions constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” as decisions led to an explosive and deadly Covid-19 outbreak at San Quentin  SAN FRANCISCO – A Marin County Superior Court judge has ordered the California Department of Corrections and...