New York County Defender Services

"As human beings, we are devastated and horrified by the footage exposing the violent death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers. But as public defenders, we are not completely surprised."

NYCDS Upstate Re-entry Social Workers submit written testimony to the NYS Senate Hearing on Parole Justice bills.

In the last three weeks alone, the Corrections Specialist team has been alerted to twelve medical or mental health emergencies within EMTC that bear a chilling resemblance to what was outlined in the Board’s recent death report

“For decades, prosecutors were allowed to portray police officers as untainted and unbiased witnesses, while laws were used to shield the public and the court from the truth regarding the misconduct and misdeeds of those very witnesses. The Law Enforcement Lookup will provide transparency and real accountability where it is needed most: our courtrooms," Stan Germán, executive director of New York County Defender Services, said.

“My clients tell me that even on the PACE unit, the thing that they don’t like is they have to be awake when someone comes around to dispense the medication,” said Katherine Bajuk, a mental health specialist at New York County Defender Services. “At 5:30, when someone comes to their housing cell and says, ‘Come take this morning medication,’ sometimes they’re just sleeping, and they miss it that way.” Bajuk said this can hurt her clients when courts look into a person’s compliance with medication when considering treatment alternatives to incarceration.