Special thanks to Santa Clara County Public Defender Sajid Khan for speaking at our national Social Biography Media Boot Camp! It was an intensive five day training, where 15 different participatory defense hubs from all over the country learned how to produce social biography packets and videos. Sajid came to talk about how public defenders have used these end products, and other ways public defenders and communities can work together to prevent incarceration. He wrote a short reflection after the gathering that we wanted to share. Thank you Sajid!

Santa Clara County Public Defender Sajid Khan addresses participatory defense hubs at the Social Biography Media Boot Camp held at the Google Space in San Francisco, CA May 18-22nd.

Thank you to Charisse Domingo and the beautiful folks at Silicon Valley De-Bug for hosting me on Friday to talk to their Participatory Defense partner groups from places like Philadelphia, North Carolina and Tennessee.  As I understand it, “Participatory Defense” is a movement to empower families and community partners of those ensnared in the criminal justice system to contribute to the defense of their loved ones, essentially expanding the legal team beyond just the public defender to achieve the best outcomes possible for the accused.   Continue reading →