Ten Principles of Community Oriented Defense

Introduction

Developed by the Brennan Center in consultation with members of the Community Oriented Defender (COD) Network's Advisory group, the Ten Principles of Community Oriented Defense identifies the goals of participants in the COD Network. We hope it will serve as a useful tool to inspire staff, educate the public, and build the capacity of the COD movement to make a difference for clients, families and communities.


Principles

Members of the COD Network, recognizing that community oriented defense services may take many forms (reflecting local imperatives, unique office priorities, resource constraints, and other factors), embrace the following goals:

  1. Create a Client-Centered Practice

    We aspire to employ a diverse group of attorneys, investigators, social workers and other advocates who respect their clients' wishes and goals, and who work together to ensure that the dignity of every client is honored.

  2. Meet Clients' Needs

    We seek to promote the life success of every client by: identifying educational gaps, mental health issues, addiction, and other needs, and linking clients with resources, opportunities, and services to meet those needs.

  3. Partner with the Community

    We seek to maintain a local presence in the communities we serve, and to form relationships with community members, community based organizations, and community institutions (e.g., courts, schools, government, health care providers and employers) to improve case and life outcomes for clients and to strengthen families and communities.

  4. Fix Systemic Problems

    We aspire to change policies that harm clients, families and communities (e.g., policing practices that produce racial and ethnic disparities in arrest rates).

  5. Educate the Public

    We seek to describe the human impact of the criminal justice system to policymakers, journalists, and others so that the public can better appreciate the cost to individuals, communities, and the nation of "tough on crime" policies.

  6. Collaborate

    We aim to create partnerships with likely and unlikely allies, including prosecutors, victims, faith-based organizations, and national and state based legal aid organizations to share ideas, promote change, and support mutual efforts.

  7. Address Civil Legal Needs

    We seek to promote access to civil legal services to resolve clients' legal concerns in such areas as housing, immigration, family court, and public benefits, occasioned by involvement with the criminal justice system.

  8. Pursue a Multidisciplinary Approach

    We aspire to engage not only lawyers but also social workers, counselors, medical practitioners, investigators and others to address the needs of clients, their families and communities.

  9. Seek Necessary Support

    We seek essential funding, professionally approved workload limits, and other resources and structures sufficient to enable the COD model to succeed.

  10. Engage with Fellow COD Members

    We are dedicated to sharing ideas, research and models to help advance the COD movement locally and nationally in order to maximize its benefits for clients, families and communities.

Resources on holistic and community-oriented defense