Webinar: Station House Counsel: Shifting the balance of power between citizen and state

In the US, arrested people are almost never able to access counsel until the first court hearing. This leaves them unprotected against the unchecked power of police at one of the most vulnerable moments in the criminal legal process.

80% of arrested people waive their right to a lawyer and to silence due to police pressure. The Innocence Project discovered that false confession was one of the main causes of wrongful convictions. Implementing mechanisms that ensure those in custody are protected will rebalance the relationship between citizens and police.

Our panelists discuss how improving access to counsel in police precincts can potentially transform criminal justice in the US and rebalance the relationship between citizens and police.

Led by Jago Russell, chief executive of Fair Trials, our expert panel includes:

– Rebecca Shaeffer, Legal Director (Americas) at Fair Trials,
– Amy Campanelli, Cook County Public Defender
– Randy Gioia, Deputy Chief Counsel at Boston Committee for Public Counsel Services
– Premal Dharia, Founder and Director of the Defender Impact Initiative
– Larry Redmond, Criminal Defense Attorney at First Defense Legal Aid

For more information, read our brief which explains why police station counsel can transform criminal justice in the US, and what it would look like in practice: https://www.fairtrials.org/sites/defa…