“Our most vulnerable people who are justice-involved often go unsupported by the systems that are there and designed to try and support them because we’re not necessarily identifying them at the moment that we need to.”

Noah Cox, LA County Deputy Public Defender, joined the @publicdefenselesspodcast to spotlight the work his Neurocognitive Disorders Team does to help clients with cognitive disorders connect to the support services they need to build a foundation of stability in their lives.

Listen to the full conversation through the link in our bio.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month. The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office supports survivors of human trafficking at every age by advocating for trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses within the legal system.
 
For trafficked youth, that means supporting Safe Harbor laws that redirect minors from prosecution to care—because no young person should be punished for surviving exploitation.
 
“The duality of being a defendant in one system and a victim in another system enhances the problem that we’re seeing we’re retriggering victims of trafficking by making them face charges in the juvenile setting and then be a victim testifying against the trafficker in the adult setting.” -Shelan Joseph, Special Counsel before the California Senate Public Safety Commission.

Ricardo D. Garcia, L.A. County Public Defender, appeared on Univision 34 Los Angeles to discuss, in spanish, the recently implemented AB 1261. This bill requires the state to provide legal representation for immigrant youth in the State of California.

So many people wrapped up in the criminal legal system have a cognitive disorder that affects planning, decision-making, and judgment. When the system expects something different without providing proper support, it explains why people cycle in and out far too often.

Noah Cox, LA County Deputy Public Defender, joins the @publicdefenselesspodcast to talk about the realities clients with cognitive disorders face and the critical work of our Neurocognitive Disorders Team, which helps bridge that gap with understanding, advocacy, and care.

Listen to the full conversation through the link in our bio.

As we look at how Prop 36 has been implemented this past year, the data is showing how people are being set up to fail-telling them they’re going to get treatment, but not having the beds to send them to.

“Without the resources, it became an unfulfillable promise,” says L.A. County Public Defender Ricardo D. Garcia.

Read and watch more from Spectrum News 1 through the link in our bio 🔗

“When we prosecute minors and individuals who are trafficked, we reaffirm the trafficker’s control and silence victims”
Our special counsel to Ricardo D. Garcia, Shelan Joseph, spoke before the California State Assembly Public Safety Committee to speak out against the magnitude of human trafficking in California and to highlight safe harbor laws that redirect minors from criminal prosecution to diversion programs. Diversion DOES work and offers victims the tools that they need to move forward.

This past Thursday was Community Outreach Court at the Skid Row ReFresh Spot! It was a busy morning helping people transition away from the criminal legal system and connect with resources like  stable housing and sustainable employment. Join us at our next COC event on October 16 - link in our bio for more information!

“We know without question that no one gets well in a cell” - @rdg_lapubdef

During his appearance on Public Defenselessness, Ricardo D. García discussed how incarceration cannot be the solution to poverty, mental illness, or homelessness. Click the link in our bio to listen to the full episode.