Legal Aid Society

Projects, Units & Initiatives for "Defending the Accused & Incarcerated"

Showing 1 — -1 of 12.
Projects, Units, Initiatives

Video Mitigation

The Legal Aid Society is among the first state public defender organizations working in-house to explore our clients’ lives through video to convey their character, aspirations, traumas, difficulties, and often, transformation. In certain cases, video...
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Projects, Units, Initiatives

The Women’s Pretrial Release Initiative

In the fall of 2017, The Legal Aid Society launched The Women’s Pretrial Release Initiative (The Initiative). The Initiative is devoted to securing the release of women who are detained pretrial in New York City...
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Projects, Units, Initiatives

The Cop Accountability Project

The Cop Accountability Project (CAP) of the Criminal Defense Practice’s Law Reform and Special Litigation Unit empowers organizations and communities across New York City to hold police accountable for human rights violations. CAP focuses on...
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Projects, Units, Initiatives

Wrongful Conviction Unit

The Wrongful Conviction Unit continues to grow in size and outreach since its inception in 2019. As a result of tripling in size, the Unit has been able to take on more clients, reinvestigate their...
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Projects, Units, Initiatives

Case Closed Project

Case Closed is a record sealing and expungement project in the Special Litigation Unit of The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice. Launched when New York’s 2017 sealing law went into effect, the project has...
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Projects, Units, Initiatives

Community Justice Unit

The Community Justice Unit (CJU) was established in 2011 as part of the New York City Council’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence. Recognizing the critical need to support community-based organizations whose work is to...
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Projects, Units, Initiatives

Homicide Defense Task Force

The Homicide Defense Task Force (HDTF) is a highly specialized unit within the Legal Aid Society established to meet the needs of clients charged with homicide. The HDTF is able to respond quickly to homicide...
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Projects, Units, Initiatives

Digital Forensics Unit

Founded in 2013, The Legal Aid Society’s Digital Forensics Unit uses technology to advocate for our clients in the courtroom, and fight against government surveillance and the erosion of digital privacy rights. The DFU was...
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Projects, Units, Initiatives

DNA Unit

The DNA Unit​ advocates for people targeted by discriminatory, biased, or unfair forensics by defending clients, preventing harm to communities through educating stakeholders, and pursuing changes in policy and law. ​ The Unit is the...
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Projects, Units, Initiatives

Criminal Appeals Bureau

The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Appeals Bureau (CAB), consisting of approximately 90 attorneys, 3 social workers, 36 paralegals, an investigator and support staff, is the largest provider of services to low-income people in New York...
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