Background & Approach
Atlanta is Georgia’s capital and largest city. The city’s Office of the Public Defender implemented a defense-based case management system to track the progress of municipal court clients linked to social services at both pretrial and post-conviction phases of a case. This system keeps track of holistic defense practices that help connect clients with the services they need and find alternatives to incarceration, all with the goal of providing rigorous representation while addressing clients’ underlying needs, alongside rigorous legal representation. By working with Safety and Justice Challenge’s Network Technical Assistance providers, the city also focused on racial justice equity, data and research maturity, and building collaboration through community engagement and justice system stakeholders.
The City of Atlanta continues to engage with the Safety and Justice Challenge Network to rethink and redesign its criminal justice system so that it is more fair, just, and equitable for all.
