Orleans Public Defenders

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Who We Are

Rally to Free Bernard Noble

: News; 03 March 2015

OPD, Louisianans for Responsible Reform and others will rally for Bernard Noble, Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m.

Bernard Noble, a 49-year-old native of New Orleans and father of seven children, is currently serving 13.3 years for in the Jackson Parish Correctional Center in Jonesboro, Louisiana.

Response: Public Defender's Office Not Holding Up Its End

: News; 22 December 2014

Chief Defender Derwyn Bunton responds to nola.com | The Times-Picayune contributing op-ed:

One of my law professors once said, "A little bit of legal knowledge is a dangerous thing." Another one of my law professors said, "Ignorance of the facts is fatal to any case." They must have foreseen Craig Mordock's opinion piece. So a quick look at the law is important.

Indictment of One of Our Own

: News; 22 December 2014

The indictment last week of one of our own is maddening and disheartening. Every day, each of us steps into the trenches: investigators, advocates, social workers and attorneys. We do so because we believe in the fight and because it is our job.

Taryn Blume is and has been a thoughtful, conscientious and hard-working investigator for OPD and our clients for 3 years. We don't believe she did anything wrong and are in full support of Taryn.

At our core, we are a family and we believe in our family. Taryn is our family; she is a sister to us. And we support our family and protect them, especially as the stakes rise and the condemnation mounts. We whole-heartedly believe in Taryn and all within our OPD family.

Ferguson, NYC, New Orleans and the Presumption of Guilt

: News; 16 December 2014

"We at OPD are the everyday witnesses to the ordinary injustices taking place across the country and each day in New Orleans. In this moment we have an opportunity to shout from the dark at a moment when people are listening."

Children, Mistakes and OPP

: News; 09 December 2014

Children, Mistakes and OPP: Chief Defender Derwyn Bunton on the all too common practice of kids in adult jail:

Transferring our children to Orleans Parish Prison has become far too commonplace. While years of research prove housing youth in adult facilities is both detrimental to their safety and psychological development, New Orleans lags behind. I began my legal career 16 years ago representing children in brutal facilities. I saw first-hand the physical and emotional scars created by such conditions.

In the 2010 Graham vs. Florida ruling, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy stated, "Juveniles are more capable of change than are adults, and their actions are less likely to be evidence of irretrievably depraved character than are the actions of adults... It would be misguided to equate the failings of a minor with those of an adult, for a greater possibility exists that a minor's character deficiencies will be reformed."

Graduates of New Municipal Court Diversion Program Get Second Chance For a Better Future

: News; 11 September 2014

On Friday, August 8th, 2014, Municipal Court's new diversion program—CrossRoads Diversion—celebrated the graduation of its first five participants. Instituted June 2014, CrossRoads Diversion is a pilot diversionary program in Orleans Parish Municipal Court intended to provide an alternative to incarceration and criminal adjudication for those charged with misdemeanor sex worker or sex worker-related offenses. CrossRoads Diversion links participants to social services to empower and enable them to make substantive and healthy life choices. The first class of five completed their sessions and their charges will be dismissed. CrossRoads Diversion currently has 33 participants in the program.