Hi Guys- I'm in San Francisco working for a capital defense group. It's been really really interesting so far, if more than a little disheartening to come face to face with some of the major problems with the criminal justice system, and especially with capital punishment. The fact that defendants have to wait for years upon years before even being appointed appellate and habeas counsel, that there is such a scarcity of good lawyers willing to take their cases, and the way that the system is generally broken are all pretty depressing. That said, it's been a good experience to get some insight into how the system works (or doesn't), and to learn more about our clients' experiences.

Like Mike, I've also been impressed with those who are dedicated to this kind of work, and that even when they know they'll lose a case, they work hard because doing the work is important in itself, and they believe that they're making progress for a greater cause. It's great to feel a sense of the indigent defense community and be around people who share certain values. Being around others who are dedicated to getting the fuller picture of a client, to seeing them as people with rich and complicated (and often devastating) life histories, rather than simply as bad people who did bad things, has been illuminating so far- and I'm excited to see what the rest of the summer will bring!

Hope everyone else is doing well- I can't believe it's almost July. See you all soon.

-Jess

-- JessicaHallett - 21 Jun 2010