NDS’ Amy Kwak Testifies to New York City Council on Expanding Right to Counsel
Evictions are always an act of violence; during a pandemic they can be deadly. Expand the Right to Counsel
NDS Harlem Calls on New York to Vaccinate Incarcerated People Now
As the pandemic’s latest wave rages, with New York City’s COVID positivity rate now at more than 9 percent, the state has two solutions before it, which must be pursued in tandem: vaccinate every incarcerated person and reduce the jail and prison population. The consequences of inaction would be catastrophic.
Public Defenders Nationwide Announce Plan for Immigration Justice; Provide Ten-Point Plan to Biden Administration
The plan urges the Biden administration and new Democratic majority in Congress to act swiftly and decisively for immigration justice to undo the unjust, harmful and destructive tactics of the outgoing administration.
New York Installs Privacy Safeguards for Contact Tracing
Last night, Governor Cuomo signed a bill into law that will protect the confidentiality of contact tracing information and prohibit access by police and immigration enforcement.
NDS Harlem Managing Director Alice Fontier on How Communities of Color Are Particularly Vulnerable to COVID-19
This March, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem welcomed Managing Director Alice Fontier to helm our office. In her first weeks on the job, she worked across our practices to [...]
Victories in the Fight for Justice During COVID-19
All of our communities face this same elevated threat, and NDS has fought for justice in every forum. Our family defense practice has left no stone unturned in its efforts to reunite families during this already stressful time, when they need each other more than ever. Our immigration defense team has sought to stand in the way of a deportation machine that seeks to churn on amid a pandemic. And our civil team has fought to keep our clients and their families safely housed.
Support Heroic Work on #GivingTuesdayNow: A Letter from the Executive Director
On Tuesday, May 5, Neighborhood Defender Service is participating in #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of giving to meet the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19. Our clients are vulnerable in the best of times; facing a crisis, they need us more than ever. And we need you. Give to NDS today and make our indispensable work possible.
Coronavirus policy must account for those in Michigan jails and prisons
By Chantá Parker, Amanda Alexander and Jonathan Sacks Originally published in Detroit Free Press Tens of thousands of people are held in Michigan jails and prisons that leave them [...]
NDS’ Emily Ponder Williams Testifies to City Council on NYC Human Rights Law
Emily Ponder Williams, Managing Attorney of NDS' Civil Defense Practice, testified before the New York City Council's Committee on Civil and Human Rights this week on amendments to the [...]
NDS’ Chantá Parker Talks the Power of Public Defense with American Black Journal
This week, NDS Detroit Managing Director Chantá Parker spoke with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson about the arrival of world-class public defense in Wayne County. Henderson hosts American Black [...]
Support Our Clients With a Gift This Holiday Season
Dear Friends, It is a challenging time for public defense. Our communities from Harlem to Detroit are under threat. Poverty is persecuted at the subway turnstile, at bail hearings, [...]
NDS’ Chantá Parker Talks Public Defense with Deadline Detroit’s Craig Fahle
NDS Detroit Managing Director Chantá Parker appeared on the Craig Fahle Show on Deadline Detroit to discuss the arrival of world-class public defense to Detroit.
Albert Woodfox, Nicole Austin-Hillery Call for Robust Public Defense and Movement- Building at Conversations with NDS 2019
On Monday, November 18th, Neighborhood Defender Service welcomed the leading minds in the criminal legal community for its annual benefit, Conversations with NDS. This years event, titled Mobilizing Against [...]
“Human Rights and Civil Rights are Inextricably Linked:” Nicole Austin-Hillery on the Fight Against Mass Incarceration
What does human rights field have to say about the criminal legal system in the United States? Quite a lot, says Nicole Austin-Hillery, the Executive Director of the US Program at Human Rights Watch.