New York State Defenders Justice Fund: New York needs the Commission regardless of who controls the State Senate

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

New York needs the Commission regardless of who controls the State Senate

With the recent developments in the New York State Senate, you may not be sure where to go from here regarding the Campaign. Don’t be discouraged; we are continuing to fight for creation of the Independent Public Defense Commission this session!

The Assembly has introduced A. 8793, which is the Public Defense Act of 2009. Assemblyman Joseph Lentol is the main sponsor and there are 77 additional co-sponsors of this legislation. You can see a list of the sponsors and the full text here.

It would be great if you could take a moment to thank Assemblyman Lentol (email LentolJ@assembly.state.ny.us) and your Assemblymember if he or she is on the bill (find members by zip code here ). If you do not see your Assemblymember listed please urge him or her to join colleagues and Assemblyman Lentol in supporting the commission.

We are working hard to respond to any changes in leadership and we will let you know our next step as soon as possible. For now we need you to continue to call the Governor!!

Please call Governor Paterson at (518) 474- 8390 and tell him, “I want the Independent Public Defense Commission this session and I support A.8793!”

Thank you for your continued support.

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The Right to Counsel is Fundamental to Justice

The Campaign for an Independent Public Defense Commission is working to fix New York State's broken system of public defense. We represent a coalition of over 200 community organizations and faith communities state-wide.

The Problem: Huge caseloads, poor training, and severe lack of resources for public defenders leave poor and working-class people with dismal representation in court. This leads to wrongful convictions, over-sentencing, and wasted tax-payer dollars. The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed a class-action lawsuit against the State for violation of defendants' right to counsel.

The Solution: Describing the system as "an on-going crisis," former New York Chief Judge Judith Kaye called in 2006 for a politically independent public defense commission to administer these services statewide and ensure the rights of the accused are protected. Kaye's successor, Chief Judge Jonathan Lippmann, agrees with her recommendations, and dozens of prominent legislators, newspaper editorial boards and columnists, former judges, and concerned citizens have spoken out publicly in support of the Commission.

Action: Please contact the State leaders below and tell them, "It's time to fix New York's system of public defense. Please pass The Public Defense Act of 2009 -- S.6002/A.8793 -- this session!"

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver: (518) 455-3791
Governor David Paterson: (518) 474-8390
Your local State Senator and Assemblyperson

Click here for their mailing and email addresses. Please write to them, and use your own stories and words to describe why public defense reform is so important to you. Please include a direct request that the leader do everything in their power to create the Independent Public Defense Commission this session.

Thank you for taking action. Together we're going to win this fight, and take a major step toward equal justice for all in New York State.

For more information, visit www.newyorkjusticefund.org.