ArchCity Defenders has been working in the municipal courts in St. Louis County since 2009. During that time, our clients have described being stopped, harassed, jailed for not being able to pay fines, and feeling as if they were second class citizens. As a result of this feedback, ACD conducted a court watching program during which we observed 60 courts. While many, many municipal court treated clients well, worked with them on payments, and did not incarcerate them for non-payment of fines, 30-40 of these courts consistently reflected the practices our clients described. We narrowed our study to the municipalities of Bel-Ridge, Ferguson, and Florissant because we heard from our clients and personally observed systemic problems that hurt our clients, the municipality itself, and our region. The attached whitepaper is the result of that study.
Through a network of service and community partnerships, the ArchCity Defenders work to break the cycle of "revolving door justice" in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
"The ArchCity Defenders are engaged in an exemplary, and often thankless job, of defending the voiceless and powerless in the criminal justice system. As a former public defender, I know how difficult the work can be and I salute those who continue the fight for justice and fairness in our legal system. It is the highest form of advocacy."
- Charles J. Ogletree, Jr.
The Jessie Climenko Professor of Law at Harvard Law School
"The ArchCity Defenders are engaged in an exemplary, and often thankless job, of defending the voiceless and powerless in the criminal justice system. As a former public defender, I know how difficult the work can be and I salute those who continue the fight for justice and fairness in our legal system. It is the highest form of advocacy."
- Charles J. Ogletree, Jr.
The Jessie Climenko Professor of Law at Harvard Law School
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