The importance of knowing your rights: Three youth share their experiences with police stops
What should you do if you’re stopped by the police? Three youth in King County share an important message.
The county should end its practice of interrogating detained youth without an attorney present
County Councilman Dave Upthegrove has drafted a motion that would forbid law enforcement from questioning a young person detained in the juvenile detention center without an attorney present. DPD thinks it’s high time.
Two public defenders become fellows in UW leadership institute
Sadé Smith and Matthew Sanders enter a program that’s not only a feather in their cap but also a way to do even more on behalf of clients and in support of their colleagues.
A tough case opens a window onto the pain of untreated mental illness
The team defending Aaron Ybarra gave him the opportunity to tell his story, helping to illuminate the way mental illness can play out in a person’s life.
Defense team works to clear name of man wrongly accused and imprisoned
Ezequiel Apolo-Albino spent eight years in prison wrongfully accused of a crime that never happened. Thanks to the tenacity and legal acumen of Department of Public Defense attorney Amy Parker and DPD investigators Molly Gilbert and Bettye Witherspoon, a Superior Court judge recently signed an order vacating his conviction on two counts of child molestation.
Attorney to be honored for a major federal court win for immigrant detainees
The win last year was a game-changer. Thanks to a class-action lawsuit brought by several public interest attorneys, a federal judge ruled that immigrants with mental disabilities facing deportation proceedings are entitled to a lawyer, a first-ever affirmation of the right to appointed counsel for immigrant detainees.
A new video addresses voting rights of citizens with felony convictions
A powerful new video underscores what many persons with felony convictions in Washington state are never told: Once out of custody and no longer under the supervision of the state Department of Corrections, he or she can register to vote.
A public defender shares her story as a Muslim American
After a friend was accosted for wearing the hijab, Dua Abudiab, a public defender at DPD’s TDA division, decided it was time to speak up.
Monfort, McEnroe and Anderson teams to be honored by WSBA
Eight public defenders, with the support of several others at DPD, worked tenaciously to save the lives of three people facing the death penalty in 2015. WSBA is honoring them for their work.
Poverty Simulation provides a window into the challenges of poverty
For one frantic hour, DPD employees and community and county partners got a taste of poverty. We learned a lot.
Pleading guilty for lack of money
This commentary by Lorinda Youngcourt was originally published in The Seattle Times.
INDIVIDUALS accused of misdemeanors in King County sit in jail for days, weeks, even months, for want of $1,000 bail. Already living close to the edge, they see what few support systems they have unravel while they’re incarcerated — accused but not convicted of a crime.
