News
Jul 25, 2024 - Love Does Not End
"If we leave the door open to change, we can welcome healing. But if we lock the doors, we deny ourselves the beauty of one another." Please read this touching story by our own Shrounda Selivanoff,…
Interim Seattle police chief Sue Rahr issued a directive this month clarifying that a 2021 state law doesn't stop police from questioning juveniles who witness crimes.
Why it matters:…
If law enforcement follows the law as it’s written, and as the prosecutor has told them to, we can protect vulnerable youth in police custody, writes the author.
Jun 10, 2024 - Freedom
Kimonti Carter (pictured here) was convicted of aggravated murder and received a mandatory life sentence without parole for this offense committed in 1997 when he was 18 years old. In 2021 the state…
This blog will address some frequently asked questions about how the revisions to the WSBA Standards affect Washington local governments.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees defendants a right to a speedy trial. In Washington, that means people arraigned on a criminal charge have to be brought to trial within two months if they are being…
Mar 28, 2024 - Public defenders' plight is finally getting some attention
Washington's public defense system has been overextended for some time. It's underfunded and understaffed, making it difficult — sometimes impossible — for publicly paid court-appointed attorneys to…
Mar 8, 2024 - Public defenders struggle with big caseloads
State funding covers fraction of local costs
Public defenders for Okanogan County — the lawyers who represent defendants who can’t afford to hire their own attorney — are juggling such…
Nov 16, 2023 - Clark County to Start a Public Defense Office
After many starts and stops and years of input, the Clark County Council unanimously approved using $3 million in ARPA funding to create a county public defense office.
Seattle Times Staff Reporter, Daniel Beekman writes, "When you’re charged with a crime that could put you behind bars and you don’t have enough money to pay an attorney to defend you, the government…