Gideon's Army

In 1963 the Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright. The holding was simple: in felony cases people who cannot afford a lawyer must be provided one. Most states responded to the ruling by creating offices for public defenders to defend poor people charged with serious crimes. But Gideon’s promise has not been fulfilled. Too many public defenders have become little more than speed bumps on an indigent’s journey to conviction. Most concerning is this: Every year hundreds of innocent in- digents are swept away in the crushing tide of a system strained to the breaking point. As it stands today, innocents may spend decades in jail, some who are guilty are not brought to justice, and the public is rapidly losing faith in fairness and competency of the criminal justice system.   http://www.gideonsarmythefilm.com