Legislators and Advocates Gather on 46th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright

ALBANY, NY (03/18/2009)(readMedia)--

LEGISLATORS AND ADVOCATES GATHER ON 46TH ANNIVERSARY OF GIDEON vs. WAINWRIGHT TO CALL FOR REFORM OF NEW YORK'S PUBLIC DEFENSE SYSTEM

Forty Six Years after Supreme Court Guaranteed Right to Counsel in Gideon V. Wainwright, It is Time for New York to Make that Right Meaningful An exhibition of "Innocent: Inside Wrongful Conviction Cases in New York" to be featured in the LOB Well

State legislators will join advocates from the Campaign for an Independent Public Defense Commission to call for the creation of an Independent Public Defense Commission to fix New York's failing public defense system.

New York's broken, county-based public defense system is denying people their constitutional right to effective counsel. The system is underfunded and places a costly unfunded mandate on the counties. Public defense attorneys carry enormous caseloads and lack the appropriate resources to hire experts or to conduct thorough investigations. An Independent Public Defense Commission would administer a new state-run public defense system operating pursuant to professional standards it would promulgate. A proposal to begin this reform while acknowledging the current fiscal crisis will be discussed.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 18, 2009

WHERE: LCA Press Room, 130 LOB

TIME: 12 p.m.

Legislators scheduled to attend:

  • Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry
  • Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson
  • Assemblyman Joseph Lentol
  • Senator John Sampson (invited)
  • Senator Eric Schneiderman
  • Assemblyman Darryl Towns
  • Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein

The press conference is part of the annual Gideon Day lobby day, when hundreds of advocates will be in Albany to lobby legislators on the creation of a Commission. A wrongful conviction display will be set up in the Well of the LOB and a number of community organizations that are members of the Campaign will be on hand to share information about their organizations and about New York's failing public defense system. Speakers will address those gathered throughout the day.

** PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE ALL DAY