The Network for Early Access to Counsel

Fair Trials’ role in coordinating NEAC has since concluded. The information below reflects the work carried out during that partnership.
The Network for Early Access to Counsel (NEAC) brought together public defenders, policy makers, practitioners and researchers to share information, resources and ideas about advancing access to counsel at the earliest opportunity – upon arrest, before and during interrogation, and before arraignment.

Fair Trials, in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago and with funding from Arnold Ventures, launched NEAC as a network for stakeholders in the movement to improve early access to counsel, particularly for those held in police custody and subject to interrogation. The network aimed to share observed information and draw together the experiences of similar programmes around the country and around the world, with the goal of accelerating and improving early access to counsel.

Background

During the years the network was active, multiple US jurisdictions considered, adopted or expanded laws with the potential to improve or provide access to counsel, or enhanced Miranda rights, for arrested people before arraignment, in police custody. Fair Trials, through its international work, was also part of a European-wide movement to ensure access to counsel in police custody for all arrested people, drawing on experience of early representation systems from dozens of countries.

Fair Trials and NORC undertook a project to evaluate the implementation of SB 203, which enhanced Miranda rights and offered the possibility of access to counsel for juveniles in police custody in California. As part of that project, the partnership produced a Best Practice guide for police station representation and a Data Collection toolkit for public defenders engaged in this work.

NEAC also analysed litigation and initiatives related to access to counsel for youth, outlined in the report Closing the Gap.