A Documentary Series inside Connecticut’s Department of Public Defenders
Connecticut’s new Chief Public Defender is living her dream.
TaShun Bowden-Lewis is the first person of color to hold the position of Chief, in Connecticut’s history. It was a 25-year dream, that was realized this year.
She runs an office of 400 public defenders. They also have administration, paralegals, social workers, investigators. They’re a full-service agency for their clients. Everything that is needed to have a great defense for their clients – they have it under our umbrella.
“We deal with more than 100,000 criminal, child protection, delinquency defense, and family support cases each year,”
~ TaShun Bowden-Lewis
The stakes of the American criminal justice system have never been higher, and Tashun and her office are at ground zero where change needs to happen, and lives are affected every single day.
Connecticut holds nearly 4,000 people behind bars pre-trial who cannot afford bail, a reality that disproportionately affects Black people. Connecticut is among the U.S. states with the widest racial wealth gaps. Republicans and law enforcement officials have touted a need for tougher penalties for juvenile crimes in a state where 43% of youth admitted to juvenile detention facilities are Black.
“It’s important for everyone, not just people of color, but people, to see that this has happened,” Bowden-Lewis said. “For all the children coming behind, and even young people, too, who are trying to figure out what they want to do…it’s important for them to see a Black woman in this role.”~ TaShun Bowden-Lewis
CONNECTICUT’S PUBLIC DEFENDERS, WHO WORK IN THE FIRST STATE TO ADOPT A STATEWIDE PUBLIC DEFENDER SYSTEM, ARE COMPETENT LAWYERS. THEIR DAILY WORKLOADS ACCENTUATE THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION TO PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET. THE STAKES COULDN’T BE HIGHER.
Public defense attorneys drive hundreds of miles to prisons around the state to visit incarcerated people needing representation. They also have round-the-clock communication with social workers and investigators to ensure that relevant materials are in place for court. Other times they are in the trenches, knocking on
JUSTICE INC. IS A DOCUMENTARY SERIES THAT EMBEDS INSIDE THE PUBLIC DEFENDER’S OFFICE, AND FOLLOWS KEY CHARACTERS, AS THEY FIGHT IN COURT, HUNT DOWN INVESTIGATIVE LEADS, AND DEAL WITH THE DAVID VS. GOLIATH FIGHT THAT INHABITS OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
The first season of Justice Inc will take place in Connecticut’s criminal justice system, and then for future seasons will travel to other American cities and criminal justice systems throughout the world. With a focus on character driven narratives with unprecedented access inside jails, courtrooms, with police investigations and finally with a verdict and closure on each case and story.
