Check out our joint op-ed with the Bronx Defenders, which discusses the shameful fact that Allegheny County's public defense spending is among the lowest in the country. Exhaustive research shows that adequate spending advances public safety and ultimately saves taxpayer money. Now is the time for County leadership to fix this.
Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice
Non-profit Organizations
Pittsburgh, PA 166 followers
About us
Our coalition - the Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice (ALIJ) - is comprised of defense attorneys, investigators, and social workers that have seen firsthand the criminal justice system's inequities and injustices. We have watched far too many families ripped apart when a father, son, mother, or daughter is shipped off to prison. We have seen far too many young lives senselessly ruined by a felony conviction. And far too many of those young people are Black and poor. We have joined forces because we share a common desire for fairness and justice and we believe that we can draw on our unique experience representing the accused to advocate for smart and innovative solutions that will improve the local justice system.
- Website
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ali4j.org
External link for Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice
- Industry
- Non-profit Organizations
- Company size
- 2-10 employees
- Headquarters
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Type
- Nonprofit
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
220 Grant Street
Suite 301
Pittsburgh, PA 15219, US
Employees at Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice
Updates
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'America Criminalizes Too Much and Punishes Too Much,' according to a recent article by a conservative US Supreme Court Justice - more proof that people of all political stripes recognize the need to rein in mass incarceration. Among many interesting points, the article notes that more people are serving life sentences in the US today than the total number of people incarcerated in 1970!
America criminalizes too much and punishes too much
https://reason.com
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We must provide public defense lawyers with the resources they need to help struggling clients address the root causes of arrests and incarceration - substance use, poverty, and untreated mental health issues. #investinpublicdefense
Funding Public Defense Furthers Community Safety | Opinion
newsweek.com
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Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice reposted this
This article explains why investing in public defenders advances public safety. We must provide public defense lawyers with the resources they need to help struggling clients address the root causes of arrests and incarceration - most commonly substance use, poverty, and untreated mental health issues.
Funding Public Defense Furthers Community Safety | Opinion
newsweek.com
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Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice reposted this
Love it! Thank you Lena for serving as a leading voice for public defense in Pittsburgh, and also for the work you're doing to make our justice system more fair and community more safe for all.
Thank you, #HowardUniversity, for showcasing Lena Bryan-Henderson, Chief Public Defender of Allegheny County, and her commitment to serving the community through fair and just legal representation. Read the full Howard University article "Lena Bryan-Henderson: Representation Matters — In More Ways Than One: https://lnkd.in/g3CDiYpc
Lena Bryan-Henderson: Representation Matters – In More Ways Than One
magazine.howard.edu
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The ACLU said funding for indigent defense has been particularly woeful outside of Philadelphia. In the state’s other 66 counties, Pennsylvania is tied with Mississippi for the lowest-funded state indigent defense system on a per-capita basis.
The ACLU says Pennsylvania’s public defenders are so underfunded it violates the law
inquirer.com
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Editorial Board – "The Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice this month published a wide-ranging report outlining exactly how the county can address its lackluster indigent defense system. Based on hundreds of interviews with attorneys, decades of media coverage and dozens of nationwide studies, the ALIJ has put in immense legwork to support their findings: The county just needs to listen."
Editorial: Poor defendants still don't get a fair shake in Allegheny County
post-gazette.com
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Check out PublicSource’s thoughtful article on the need for independence in public defender offices. Independence is one of 10 reforms we advocate in our just-released report titled, “Transforming Public Defense in Allegheny County: The Path Forward.” As PublicSource explains, our local Public Defender “has a history of being hamstrung and muzzled” by the County Executive’s office. If we want a fair and balanced criminal legal system, the Public Defender must be empowered to speak up when it sees injustice without fear of reprisal. Full ALIJ report available here: https://lnkd.in/e3esCGKV
An independent Allegheny County public defender? Report says yes.
http://www.publicsource.org
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Today, ALIJ released a report titled, “Transforming Indigent Defense in Allegheny County: The Path Forward.” Our goal with this report is to advocate 10 safety-minded reforms that will modernize our outdated indigent defense systems, and bring them into compliance with national standards. Here’s an uncomfortable truth: Allegheny County’s systems for protecting the rights of accused persons who cannot afford a lawyer often fail people – and people are unfairly harmed as a result. Simply put, Allegheny County’s public defense systems are in need of a fundamental overhaul. This report is ALIJ’s response to that need. Report available here: https://lnkd.in/e3esCGKV