Enhancing Public Defender Holistic Services: Evidence from Partners for Justice

• In Event: Data in Indigent Defense: Support Staff and Holistic Defense

Abstract

This presentation will report results of a mixed methods evaluation of the work of Partners for Justice (PfJ) in Delaware County, PA. Partners for Justice is an innovative nonprofit that trains recent college graduates to perform client support services within institutional defenders. Using administrative data and a differences-in-differences research design, we measure the impacts of access to PfJ advocates on client outcomes. We also report results from in-depth interviews that highlight the advantages and limitations of PfJ's collaborative defense model.

Author

• Paul Heaton, University of Pennsylvania