Earlier this year, Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle urged Florida lawmakers to financially aid public defenders and prosecutors, alleging that the pay has “reached a crisis level.” The pay public defenders and prosecutors receive insufficient to cover the high costs of living. As a result, the offices that employ them are grappling with high turnover rates. The turnover signifies that public defenders and prosecutors are

The money bail system that has been so pervasive throughout our judicial system is beginning to see reform around the nation. The money bail system, which is the current system in most states, ensures that defendants can only be released from jail if they pay money as collateral in the event they do not show up to court. Bail reform advocates believe a core issue with the current system is that it will often keep harmless people in jail because they cannot afford bail, while

Before coming to law school, I volunteered in the Public Defender’s Office in Ohio and specifically worked in the juvenile justice department. These experiences lead me to question the juvenile justice system: what that looks like and how are things being changed? So, what is the process a juvenile goes through when he or she commits a crime, and how is that process different from what happens when an adult commits a crime? According to the Juvenile Law Center, over a hundred

California has recently prioritized the reduction of convictions that were deemed wrongful in hopes of creating an equal and leveled playing field when it comes to criminal cases. While there is a plethora of concerns in the legal field, California presently decided to tackle an issue that some believe has been plaguing the justice system in the state after a number of misconduct scandals have surfaced. Prosecutors who had previously withheld evidence from defense attorneys

While observing District Court this summer, I witnessed an intimidating interaction between a Judge and a Public Defender. It was a bench trial for a routine trespassing case, and everything seemed to be proceeding as normal. Let me start by saying that this was a cut and dry case. Everything was lined up and ready to go. We all thought we would be out of the courtroom in under thirty minuets. The trial began, and the judge asked if there were any pretrial motions. The prosec

The United States Constitution guarantees all individuals legal representation when they are charged with a crime. While many alleged criminals are able to pay for an expensive attorney, others must deal with the attorney the court appoints to them or be lucky enough to be represented by an attorney who is working pro bono. Specifically in the criminal context, thousands of alleged criminals are appointed public defenders to represent them in court each year. However, burnout