The mission of the San Francisco Public Defender’s office is to protect and defend the rights of our indigent clients accused of crimes, through effective, vigorous, compassionate, and creative legal advocacy.

We aspire to provide the highest level of legal advocacy for each of our clients, and to be a nationwide model for the delivery of indigent defense services.

In addition to advocating for clients in the courtroom in criminal cases, the office also:
● Steers clients to treatment in Behavioral Health Court, Drug Court, Veterans Court, and other collaborative courts;
● Works to clear people’s records so they can seek employment;
● Keeps youth out of the system through our MAGIC programs;
● Represents immigrants facing deportation in immigration court;
● Advocates for changes in laws and policies to make the criminal legal system more fair and equitable, and address racial injustice

Racial Equity Action Plan – Phase I: December 30, 2020
In response to the City’s growing racial disparities, and as a means to address the history of structural and institutional racism in San Francisco’s delivery of services to the public and its own internal practices and systems, San Francisco legislated the creation of the Office of Racial Equity (Ordinance No. 188-19) in July 2019. For more information, please visit the Office of Racial Equity’s website: https://www.racialequitysf.org/

The Office of Racial Equity has called for all City’s Departments to prepare and submit a 3-year plan for Phase 1. Like all City Departments, we have work to do to ensure that we examine racial disparities and develop effective changes, programs, initiatives, and policies to address them. Our Plan describes many of the steps to be taken in this first phase, to apply racial equity principles to inspect and dismantle unfair and harmful structural and institutional policies and practices, while creating an actively anti-racist workplace.

In 2020 The Public Defender’s Office (PDR) prepared and submitted its initial Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) to the Office of Racial Equity. Our REAP continues to be working document and we have since revised and submitted a Progress Report. We welcome this opportunity for continued growth while maintaining our ardent commitment to racial justice work.