JOIN OUR MOVEMENT Hundreds of public defenders Sharing a common vision Partnering with the communities Achieving equal justice In America we have lost sight of the humanity of our most vulnerable communities. As a result we have become indifferent to the injustice they experience in all walks of life. Our collective indifference to poverty, sub-standard education, mental health challenges, and substance abuse, drives a criminal justice system that is devastating low-income communities. Rather than deal with these issues, we criminalize those who fall victim to them. Public defenders are on the front lines to address these issues. Society’s mistreatment of its own citizens in the criminal justice system is a reflection of its lack commitment to equal justice. By interrupting routine injustice every day, public defenders serve as the conscience of our criminal justice system and the first line of defense to reclaim our democracy! By driving all of us to see the humanity of our most marginalized community-members, our public defenders: - Impact individual lives - Transform our criminal justice system - Drive a more equitable society AND THEY NEED YOUR SUPPORT!!! www.gideonspromise.org 101 Marietta Street NW, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30303 Criminal Justice is this generation’s greatest civil and human rights struggle As the nation has been exposed to a seemingly endless stream of highly-publicized, violent citizen-police encounters, we are awakening to the reality that justice in America is not equal. But for every person killed by a police officer, hundreds of thousands more are arrested, processed into a prison cell, and left unable to ever participate in society in a meaningful way. America incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. These men and women are almost exclusively poor and disproportionately of color. The only chance they have is a public defender who may be heroic, but who is overwhelmed, under-resourced, and beaten down. Nothing is destroying our most marginalized communities more than our criminal justice system. The fight to reclaim it is the greatest civil rights struggle facing our nation today. Our criminal justice crisis drives broader social inequities 2.3 million people are locked up at any given time in America. Once released, these men and women will struggle to find jobs and homes. Many will succumb to substance abuse and mental health issues related to their experience in the criminal justice system. As these lives are destroyed so are the communities where they return. Their children suffer, entering a cycle of despair that is hard to break. Our criminal justice crisis is connected to all other social and economic ills. The health of our broader democracy depends on the struggle to fix our system of justice. Transforming criminal justice requires that we change hearts and minds Whether reflected in violent encounters between police and citizens on the street or the routine injustice that defines the court process between arrest and incarceration, our collective indifference to the treatment of low-income people fuels the poor administration of justice in America. Over the past forty years we have embraced a tough-on-crime narrative that casts poor people as “others.” We have embraced assumptions that associate race and class with dangerousness. We see “otherized” populations as unworthy of justice. We can engage in policy fixes designed to lessen the harm our justice system wreaks, but as long as we continue to see poor people as needing to be monitored, controlled, and punished, we will not achieve equal justice – in the criminal justice arena or beyond. True equality demands that we change a justice narrative that paints some members of society as less human, and therefore less worthy of the protections our Constitution demands. - more - www.gideonspromise.org 101 Marietta Street NW, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30303 A movement of public defenders can transform our justice system by changing our assumptions about the less fortunate and how they deserve to be treated Public defenders speak for 80% of the people in the criminal justice system and the communities they represent. These are communities that have been silenced. They must be heard if we are to mobilize a movement to demand they be treated with dignity and respect. They must be seen as people we care about; worthy of the same protections we demand for our own loved ones. Collectively public defenders challenge the assumptions about people in the system and how they deserve to be treated. Public defenders ferret out those systemic abuses that have become accepted in the criminal justice arena. By changing the criminal justice narrative, Gideon’s Promise is a powerful movement for systemic change When the Supreme Court decided Gideon v. Wainwright in 1963, establishing the right to counsel, public defenders were understood as the engine necessary to ensure justice for those without means. As we have come to see the poor as expendable, we have lost respect for the public defenders charged with ensuring they are treated fairly. This lack of respect is reflected in a lack of support. If we are to reclaim our justice system, we must invest in public defenders who will drive this transformation. Gideon’s Promise has built a growing movement of public defenders who inspire and support one another as they raise expectations about how low income populations deserve to be treated. They are the leaders we need to drive a new approach to justice in the future. We are only limited by the resources available to train, support and advocate for public defenders, their clients, and the communities they serve. www.gideonspromise.org 101 Marietta Street NW, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30303 The Organization Join Our Movement Public defenders push us to see the humanity of those society has cast aside, and in doing so impact lives, transform our attitudes about justice, and drive a more equitable society. Gideon’s Promise started with 16 public defenders from two states. To date, we have brought more than one thousand public defenders from 22 states into this movement. These defenders share a common vision and a commitment to equal justice. So Why Did We Create Gideon’s Promise? In 1963, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Gideon v. Wainwright that fulfilling the promise of equal justice requires that every person accused of a crime in America must be provided a lawyer, regardless of economic status. That same year, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in our nation’s capitol. Both occurrences marked a monumental shift towards equality in the justice system and social infrastructure in our country. Although 1963 was a pivotal year for civil and human rights, our jails and prisons are still populated with people who are not receiving quality representation due to financial, structural and cultural changes needed in the criminal justice system. Many people in the system are overwhelmingly poor and disproportionately minorities. For them, Gideon’s promise remains unfulfilled and justice out of reach. Public defenders are necessary if we are to realize equal justice in America. And that’s why Gideon’s Promise trains and supports public defenders who work in courtrooms day-in and day-out to create a more equitable America from within. It is not enough to get someone out of the criminal justice system. We have to address the myriad problems that brought them in, which is the client-centered approach that Gideon's Promise public defenders learn to implement. Gideon’s Promise is building a movement of public defenders who are advocating for low- income clients in courtrooms and communities across the nation, challenging systemic assumptions about the humanity of poor people and how they deserve to be treated, and rewriting a justice narrative that drives unequal treatment in America. www.gideonspromise.org 101 Marietta Street NW, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30303 The Organization (cont’d) Our Mission: Transform the criminal Our Vision: A nation where every person has justice system by building a movement of access to zealous, outstanding representation public defenders who provide equal necessary to ensure “equal justice for all” in justice for marginalized communities. the criminal justice arena. www.gideonspromise.org 101 Marietta Street NW, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30303 Programs Public defenders are the engine for systems change and our programs empower participants to: • Look for systemic injustice and ferret out cheaters • Provide critical context to fashion fairer outcomes • Challenge assumptions, humanize clients and rewrite their narratives • Change individual lives by identifying needs and providing an onramp to the services and skills necessary to change perceptions and outcomes Summer Law Clerk Core 101 Introducing tomorrow’s public defenders Three year program that provides new to the rewards of working to transform public defenders the skills to become broken systems and creating a pipeline to excellent client-centered attorneys. Core connect law students from across the 101 provides the inspiration and support country to opportunities to join our needed to remain passionate advocates. movement. Leadership Graduate 201 Leaders from our partner-offices meet Continued support and training for Core every six months to participate in “101” graduates learning to develop into management training, learn leadership trainers, mentors, and future indigent skills, and share strategies for improving defense leaders. public defense and reforming criminal justice in their jurisdictions. Trainer Development Law School Partnership Teaches participants the Gideon’s Promise Partnership between Gideon’s Promise, philosophy, model, and curriculum as well our partner public defender offices and as skills and strategies for effectively law schools committed to justice. The teaching and mentoring public defenders. fellowship program guarantees students This program enables us to build a strong employment at one of our partner-public corps of trainers and mentors, and to defender offices.