Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Public Defense Task Force
Meeting on
Juvenile Justice and Michigan’s Public Defense Delivery System
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
1012 PM, State Bar of Michigan, Room 1 & 2
306 Townsend Street Lansing, MI 48933
The Public Defense Task Force (PDTF) is working for a fair and effective public defense system that
meets nationally recognized standards. The PDTF educates the public and fights for legislative reforms
to ensure Michigan’s justice system is constitutional, cost‐effective, and enhances public safety. The
Task Force is a founding organization of the Michigan Campaign for Justice.
To date, efforts to improve public defense have primarily focused on adult criminal proceedings. The
PDTF is committed to assuring that children are not over looked. We invite you to join us on January 22
to discuss the unique challenges facing juvenile defenders and the impact of the current public defense
system on children and their families. There will be brief presentations from experts in the field:
• Referee Jennifer Pilette, 3rd Circuit Court Family Division
• Frank Vandervort, University of Michigan Child Advocacy Law Clinic
• Regina Daniels Thomas, Legal Aid Defender Association in Detroit
Following the presentations, there will be roundtable discussions where we hope you will share your
insights into changes needed in the public defense system for juveniles. Your expertise is vitally needed
as, together, we work to develop strategies for reform.
Public Defense Task Force
The Public Defense Task Force was formed in 2001 to address a crisis in how public defense services are
provided to the state's poorest citizens. Those within the system, as well as national experts, agree that
the system is drastically under‐funded. Michigan ranks at the bottom of states nationwide in the
resources provided for the public defense function, and is one of only four states providing no state
funds to counties. The PDTF is comprised of a broad range of organizational leaders, adult and juvenile
criminal justice professionals and concerned citizens eager for reform.
Michigan Campaign for Justice
The Campaign for Justice is building a statewide bipartisan coalition to educate the public and win
legislation requiring the state to fund and exercise appropriate oversight for public defense services, in
compliance with American Bar Association and State Bar of Michigan standards.
For more information, please contact Michelle Weemhoff, Public Defense Task Force Coordinator, at
(517) 775‐3968, mweemhoff@michigancampaignforjustice.org
Please Note: In the same room and directly following the meeting, you are also invited to a meeting of
organizations to discuss the potential impact and cost of pending state gang legislation (SB 291, 660,
661). Michigan Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) is convening the gang bill meeting. For
more information, please contact Jean Doss at (517) 202‐2302, jmdoss@comcast.net.