Holistic defense, or holistic representation, is defined by the Bronx Defender’s Center for Holistic Defense as, “Holistic defense combines aggressive legal advocacy with a broader recognition that for most poor people arrested and charged with a crime, the criminal case is not the only issue with which they struggle. The key insight of holistic defense is that to be truly effective advocates for our clients, we as defenders must broaden the scope of our work to include both the collateral consequences of criminal justice involvement as well as the underlying issues, both legal and non-legal, that have played a part in driving our clients into the criminal justice system in the first place.”

Most public defenders do not have the capacity, or resources, to address the issues that resulted in their client’s contact with the criminal justice system. A holistic defense model aims to provide public defenders, and their clients, with the resources necessary to address these issues.

The issues that clients face vary from case to case. However, some of the clients we see experience employment related circumstances, unaddressed mental health diagnoses, houselessness and housing instability, food insecurity, substance dependency, immigration and transportation related issues. For many clients, access to these resources can make a huge impact on their circumstances and decrease their likelihood of future contact with the criminal justice system.

Community members interested in supporting PDMC’s implementation of a holistic defense model can provide support in the form of monetary donations, donations of time and talent as volunteers, or donations of resources, such as clothing for job interviews, and supplies, such as non-perishable food and toiletries.