The Empirical Case for Defense Counsel for All, Starting at First Appearance: Lessons from the Misdemeanor Justice Project

This resource was highlight the critical role of defense counsel, which is often denied or restricted, in ensuring the rights of individuals accused of criminal in lower courts. This article was based on two articles from DCJ’s special issue in Criminal Justice Policy Review:

What Difference Does a Lawyer Make? Impacts on early counsel on misdemeanor bail decisions and outcomes in rural and small town courts and Right to Counsel in Misdemeanor Prosecutions After Alabama v. Shelton: No-lawyer-courts and their consequences on the poor and communities of color in St. Louis