New! TCJC is currently looking to fill internship and work-study positions. If you are interested in a work-study position or to volunteer your time for university credit, please complete our online application.
Ensuring a Just and Accountable Judicial System by Protecting the Right to Counsel
This project supports the efforts of the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense in upholding the constitutional requirements for indigent defense, and it works to promote systemic change to ensure that indigent defendants are informed of their right to request counsel and are granted timely appointment of counsel that serves their best interests.
A quality defense creates a balanced judicial system, increases fairness and integrity in sentencing, and is the last opportunity to prevent wrongful convictions. Through community advocacy and key partnerships, TCJC encourages counties to implement independent indigent defense systems that ensure veracity of the appointment process and provide defendants access to quality representation. We support county efforts that facilitate opportunities for the release of low-risk defendants in an effort to reduce costly jail overcrowding and collateral hardships to defendants and their families awaiting trial. Furthermore, we advocate for increased state resources, in parity with prosecutorial resources, so that defendants may have access to a fair trial.
For more information about this project or to get involved, please contact lpinney@criminaljusticecoalition.org or call 512.441.8123, x. 114.
You Have the Right to a Lawyer in Your Criminal Case…
But You Gotta Know How to Get One
