Former Georgia Supreme Court Justice Helps Raise Awareness For Public Defense Reform In The South
Online, August 9, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Unbeknownst to the community-at-large, the Southern Public Defender Training Center (SPDTC) has been improving legal services in the South for those who cannot afford attorneys since its inception in 2007. Its efforts have even been chronicled in a documentary, Gideon's Army, which will air on HBO in spring of 2013. On September 20th, SPDTC will be formally introduced to the Atlanta community at its Autumn Soiree, which will be held at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman S. Fletcher will be the keynote speaker at the social justice talk and cocktail reception.
In 1963, the Supreme Court's decision in the landmark case Gid! eon v. Wainwright held that under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution, legal counsel is to be provided in criminal cases for defendants who are unable to afford their own attorneys. Unfortunately, forty-nine years later, "public defense systems still fail to provide justice for the poorest members of society and the most concentrated evidence of this is in the South," asserts Jonathan Rapping, founder and president of SPDTC. Sending untrained and unsupported lawyers into courtrooms not only harms clients and their families, it negatively impacts the judicial system, and ultimately wastes precious tax payers' dollars. The reasons for this inadequacy are mainly a lack of resources and systemic problems that are commonplace throughout the public defense community. However, the former public defender trainer and current law professor believes that a culture in which "many defenders have lost sight of their obligation to tirelessly fight to force the system to live up to its! high ideals" is also to blame.
Rapping founded SPDTC to inspire, train, and mobilize the next generation of public defenders in the South to deliver client-centered representation to their indigent (economically disadvantaged) clients. SPDTC's curriculum is based on the premise that every person deserves equal access to justice, fair treatment, and high quality representation that upholds their constitutional rights, regardless of their inability to pay for legal counsel. In addition to trial skills, new public defenders become a part of a community that offers invaluable support and encourages them to be pioneers in this generation's civil rights movement - indigent defense reform.
Roughly 1 in 5 U.S. citizens is eligible for federally funded legal services; and the need for legal services among the poor is significant, with 40% of low and moderate income households experiencing a legal problem each year. A poll conducted by SPDTC revealed that in 2011, twenty-eight program participants from offices in Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana, and Alabama served a total of 7,300 clients who faced 11,400 separate criminal counts (or cases). There is an urgent need for SPDTC's programs; unfortunately, many public defender offices simply do not have the resources to train and support their attorneys.
The Autumn Soiree will be held the evening of Thursday, September 20th from 6:30 to 9:00pm. Tickets are $75/person in advance and $100 on the day of the event. For information about corporate sponsorship or to purchase tickets, call 404-935-6405, or visit www.thespdtc.org/donate. Additionally, a silent raffle, featuring Taste of Atlanta VIP tickets, a 1-night stay at a midtown hotel, and more, will be held at the Autumn Soiree. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the event. All proceeds from the Autumn Soiree will be distributed across SPDTC's five training and support programs; and used to provide vital scholarships ! to deserving public defenders throughout the southeastern United States.