New York County Defender Services

We support specific legislation to decarcerate jails and prisons, reduce law enforcement budgets and increase accountability, invest in Black and Latinx communities, treat immigrant communities with dignity, and protect young people who deserve compassion, not incarceration.

New York City public defenders will be pushing for a new slate of criminal justice reforms when state lawmakers meet in the new year.

The NYPD leading its own reform is like putting the fox in charge of cleaning the hen house.

Chris Boyle, director of data research and policy at New York County Defender Services, said there is a "sense of foreboding" among defense attorneys and advocates about a resurgence of the virus. "There will be a panic," Boyle said.

"Incarcerated people have just a week left to mail in their applications for stimulus checks before the November 4 deadline. But many aren’t aware that they’re eligible or don’t have the information and forms they need to apply. Unless New York prisons and jails do more to help, prisoners and their advocates say, thousands of incarcerated New Yorkers may not receive the $1,200 payments."