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By Kathryn Wiley|Published Date: February 26, 2010
The U.S. Department of Justice is launching a program led by Harvard Law Prof. Laurence Tribe to help low-income people receive legal help, according to a report on NPR radio.
Tribe will coordinate with judges and lawyers across the United States to find ways to help people who cannot afford a lawyer. In addition, Tribe will work on programs outside of the criminal justice system, such as drug courts and mental health courts, and tackle issues related to criminal, civil and family courts.
“The Constitution’s Sixth Amendment guarantees that every criminal defendant will have access to a competent lawyer, but many states don't keep that promise. Some states don't have the money or the systems in place to provide people with good lawyers.”
The project will use a reallocation of money already in the Justice Department’s budget, according to a Justice official.
"It's very appropriate and fitting, and it’s consistent with the finest traditions of the Department of Justice," Ken Starr, dean of Pepperdine Law School, said of the new initiative. Starr also called Tribe a “brilliant” choice to lead the program.
To read a transcript of the radio program, click here.
For more information on drug reform and mental illness in U.S. prisons, please visit Justice Fellowship resource pages on drug reforms and mandatory minimums and mental health in prisons. |
