The Bronx Defenders - a Glimpse into Madness

My organization is an interesting one. The atmosphere is very lax. As a matter of fact, the other day, we had to run to court to watch the closing arguments on a murder trial. (Apparently, the closing arguments are a must-see in this part of town.) However, I hadn't come dressed for court nor did I have a suit left at work. Everyone at the office, however, said to grab any suit from the closet. After considerable thought, I decided to do just that. Speaking of clothes, you can wear just about anything yo uwant here. Then today, there were a whole bunch of kids in this one empty office. Throughout intervals in the day, one child screamed "What is wrong with you people?" Another child screamed as she ran away from some imaginary monsters. They lock each other out of the office and run away from pretend imposing lawyers. Some legal interns, my supervisor and I fell into conversation about homosexuality and the media and R.Kelly.

Yet, they still get work done. What I like about the Bronx Defenders is that people are generally happy to be there. The work is stressful and sometimes very disconcerting, and the culture of the organization does its best and succeeds at alleviating any stress factors associated with a job public defense. The people here, however, are young. My supervisor mentioned that they do have a high rate of turnover precisely because it's public defense.

Everyone at the office are treated like equals. There is no obvious head person in charge. In fact, the office is set up in teams, with a supervising attorney. In regards to the informal network, the two people I have observed who keep things running smoothly are Lourdes and Lorraine, who works at the front desk. They both know everything and everyone in the office. I have a feeling that were one of them not available for a long period of time, things may fall apart.

(Grand entrance music) Here comes the ... BRONX DEFENDERS!!

The vibe that I get from working here at the Bronx Defenders is just that---a superhero come to save the day for all those who cannot afford a defense attorney. As I immerse myself in the organizational culture here (way casual outfits and no overbearing rules), I find that all of the people that this organization represents aren't all bad guys. I grew up watching shows like Columbo, Matlock, Perry Mason and even Law & Order, where the bad guy was just that, the bad guy who felt no remorse for his/her actions. The opposite is true in many cases. A lot of the times it's an altercation between two people--both of which are innocent or both of whom are guilty.

On another note, I also realized how ABSURD some of these prison sentences are. A fellow CUSPer mentioned how if you get caught with an unregistered gun three times, you get a prison sentence for life! One of the clients that my organization defended got life in prison for a minor burglary charge, while this man was dying from AIDS and was addicted to heroin. Activists get thrown into jail for exorbitant sentences. What did the Angola 8 do that was so bad? Why are we still trying to free Mumia? Everyday I realize that the amount of people in jail for justifiably heinous crimes and no hope for rehabilitation are next to zero, lost among the petty thefters drug abusers and turnstile jumpers. I read one article on a young boy who almost obtained a criminal record for using his own Student MetroCard on Election Day. He didn't do anything wrong! What irks me the most about the justice and penal system is that a criminal, upon release, is still treated as inferior. Voting rights are taken away, financial aid is not available for at least a year if you commit a felony, not eligible for Pell Grants, and is under constant surveillance. I imagine the purpose of the penal system is to provide an opportunity for a new beginning and new start provided that you learned your lesson while in prison. But if upon release, you are not given a chance and your rights are not thusly reciprocated, then what was the point?

This week I got to go to a public hearing which was basically an update on what the NYPD was up to in terms of "Community policing." I also got to sit in on a murder trial that's pretty big at the law firm. It's exciting to see the direct/cross-examinations. Tension was high. It was funny because right before the trial started everyone was laughing it up like they were old buddies. The minute the trial started, however, attitudes got out of control.

My work with ReEntry Net is teaching me a ton of information. My supervisor lets me go to these police hearings and meetings about transitional housing, policing and bills being introduced into legislation regarding reentry issues. I work on the library and calendar events as well and I get to read statements regarding sustainability after imprisonment. I'm really learning a lot, and I hope to put that information to use way after leaving this internship for the summer.

My only wish is that the Bronx Defenders could extend their services to other bureaus. I feel that a lot of people would benefit greatly from their hard work and dedication. Like mentioned before, they have an 80% winning rate--that's got to be good.

It's never a dull moment here at the Bronx Defenders when you're saving the world one prisoner at a time.

Week 1 Journal Reflection

After your first week on the job, what went well?
What I think went considerably well was the opportunity to go to a public hearing in City Hall about a bill that would give out free birth certificates to released prisoners serving at least 90 days in both city and state prisons. I got to hear the Department of Health’s argument which included loss of funds, lack of subsidized funding and loss in quality if it offered free birth certificates. I also got to hear testimonies in support of the bill by various prison advocacy organizations such as Phoenix House, I-CARE, The Fortune Society, clergymen and even the Brooklyn DA’s office/COM-ALERT, which even the City Council was surprised to see support the bill. While those opposing the bill put forth a logistical argument, those in favor of the bill appealed to the humanistic side of the bill. I also caught a glimpse at new legislation that would in effect lower the minimum standards in city jails, taking away things like private phone calls (it would allow staff to listen to the phone conversations of inmates), and even reducing the dormitory space, thereby housing more prisoners in less space.

It's Me, Snitches!

Hi! My name is Jennifer Saint-Preux and I'm a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. I'm majoring in Industrial and Labor Relations with a concentration in Urban Region Studies and Law & Society. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY but now I live in Valley Stream, Long Island (maybe you can hear the accent, sometimes.) I'm also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated, which is something I take great pride in because it took me way too long for me to get into it. I like to dance, step and sing, and I do very well academically, but not very well socially (I tend to be a wallflower). I'm also Haitian and can speak the dialect, Creole, although not very fluently.

I understand community service as my life. Everything I do is community service I feel sometimes. I've won outstanding community service awards through my sorority--I'm in the downtown area more so than I'm at Cornell at times. I don't really know why I decided to apply to CUSP--I liked the aspect of social justice. Up until I applied I had performed service that pertained mainly towards the youth and families, and I saw CUSP as a way to expand my thinking of community and service for the community. Although the youth is a very important part of the community, there are still other aspects that must be addressed. CUSP was an opportunity also for me to advance my understanding of social justice as I see it through an ILRie's eyes. Since taking the class, I've learned that community service has its own vernacular and learning and I found service-learning to be very interesting. Over the summer, I hope to apply those concepts and techniques "in the field." This will be the first time I will actually take what I've learned in the classroom and brought with me to the workplace.

So. on that note, I'll be working with the Bronx Defenders, which is a public defense firm similar to the Legal Aid Society. The difference between the Bronx Defender and other public defense organizations is that it takes a wholistic approach to defending individuals who cannot afford a lawyer. Each case is assigned a team, made up of four people: an investigator, an attorney, a social worker and an administrative assistant. So, for example, when a client has been released, he/she can return to the Bronx Defenders, and from there, whoever had been assigned will have the social worker help him/her re-integrate into society, whether it be through reconnecting with family members or finding a job and housing.

With that said, I'm working with the Civil Action Project and Reentry Net which concentrates on analyzing and collecting information on what options are open to recently incarcerated people. Bronx Defenders has introduced several pieces of legislation at a federal, state and city level from making forms of identification easier to attain (right now, a prisoner incarcerated for more than 90 days has to pay $15 to get an original birth certificate, which serves as his/her only form of identification in the US. Alot of the time, people's stuff gets stolen, or taken or just lost in the shuffle, and they often leave jail with no identification) to expanding the Federal Second Chance Act to individuals currently in jail. I honestly don't know what I expect to accomplish by this summer's end, but I do know that I will be learning about the ins and outs of the criminal justice system on the side of public defense which I think will be very helpful for me in the future. I've already learned about the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony, and furthermore, what the collateral consequences are for both!

While talking to an investigator, she mentioned that the people who work there really love their job and her first indication of this is their winning rate, which is 80% (they tend to win alot of their cases, or can reduce charges from felonies to misdemeanours) and the fact that the lawyers working at the Bronx Defenders are Ivy League and Top Tier graduates. She felt that the community definitely benefitted from this because you have some of the best lawyers working for what are admittedly convicted felons who have been arrested multiple times. The investigator told us about one case of a drug dealer who's lawyer was able to get him off of many horrible charges. Finally, the guy pushed his luck and has finally been placed in jail, but the fact that this lawyer was able to render 6 out of 8 cases void is amazing. In addition, the Bronx Defenders performs community service and reaches out to the community. In August, they host a street fair, and during the summer, they host an arts project with the youth in the community, among other initiatives. There is a small handbook that is written for the general public to read that breaks down what are the consequences of being charged with a felony or a misdemeanour and how that affects future employment, housing and education. In addition, there are resources for people looking for someone in jail. I think that the community therefore, benefits a lot from an organization like the Bronx Defenders. I only hope to add to the contributions that BD offers now.