Forum for an Equal Justice System

Forum for an Equal Justice System 
August 5, 2020
7:00 p.m., online
To receive the zoom link, please RSVP to asjraustin@gmail.com

A Travis County study found that people with court-appointed attorneys receive worse outcomes than those who hire their own lawyers. Most people accused of crimes in Travis County are appointed an attorney. This is even more true for minorities: nearly two-thirds of Latinos and three-fourths of African-American defendants.
 
The Temple Beth Shalom social justice team and Rabbi Freedman, together with the Advocates for Social Justice Reform (ASJR), invite you to a conversation about creating a more equal justice system. They will be joined by the county’s new chief public defender, Adeola Ogunkeyede, community advocates Darwin Hamilton, and Ofelia Zapata and defense attorney Chito Vela.
  
Until now, Austin has been the largest city without a dedicated public defender’s office. Instead, the county used a system called Managed Assigned Council, which pays private attorneys to represent people who can’t afford to hire an attorney. The lawyer is usually paid the same whether the case ends in court, a plea deal, or a dismissal, and they often take on a large caseload. 
 
Through strong advocacy work by ASJR and allies, the county has created its first public defender’s office. It’s an important step toward better representation for the indigent, those unable to afford an attorney. More work remains to be done to create a more equal justice system for those most affected in our community.