U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 Early Intervention by Counsel: A Multi-Site Evaluation of the Presence of Counsel at a Defendants First Appearance in Court
Award Information
Awardee
              The Research Foundation for the SUNY, University at Albany
Award #
              2014-IJ-CX-0027
Funding Category
              Competitive
Location
                    Albany, NY
Awardee County
              Albany
Congressional District
              20
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2014
Total funding (to date)
              $381,402
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY 14 Research and Evaluation on Justice Systems-Related Topical Areas
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2014, $381,402)
We propose to study the impact of programs for providing counsel to defendants at their first appearance in court on (1) outcomes for defendant cases and (2) criminal justice operations and costs. Research has revealed that, despite case law and legislation, the provision of counsel at first appearance varies widely across the nation and in many places is never provided at all. Lack of representation at this critical point has implications for the quality of justice, since key decisions are set in motion at first appearance- bail, pleas, convictions, and sentencing. Further, the absence of counsel may be associated with result in unnecessarily restrictive bail conditions and detention, imposing costs on defendants and their families, but also on already strained local criminal justice and social services systems.
In early 2014, the New York Office of Indigent Legal Services awarded grants to locally-designed programs to expand access to counsel. We propose to conduct process evaluations, outcome evaluations, and cost-benefit analyses of these initiatives in six upstate New York counties. These counties vary on key dimensions: type of program (public defense, assigned counsel) and demography, and represent the variation on these and other factors found across the
nation. (urban, mixed, and rural populations). We will gather information on the Implementation process, informing
policy makers and practitioners of the challenges and opportunities that arise in varying settings. We will also collect and analyze case data (approximately 600 cases per site) at three points: before these programs were implemented, during the implementation phase, and after they have been routinized, to determine if, and how, how counsel affects case outcomes. Finally, we will gather information about costs and benefits, including system costs such as incarceration burden and court time, to assess the impact of the program on county budgets.
This project builds on a partnership between SUNY Albany and the Office of Indigent Legal Services that began as a long-term collaboration between the PI and Co-Pl. It is endorsed by the NLADA , NACDL, and the Honorable Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge of New York. It is supported by David Carroll (6th Amendment Center) and Cherise Fanno Burdeen (Pretrial Justice Institute) and an Advisory Board composed of experts, practitioners, and public officials.
The project will take place over two years. The findings will be disseminated to defender organizations, judicial associations, state and local government associations, and researchers, through a combination of articles in refereed journals, white papers on specific aspects of timely provision of counsel, submission of summary documents to organizations with interested constituencies, and media releases. ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Early Intervention by Counsel: A Multi-Site Evaluation of the Presence of Counsel at Defendants' First Appearances in Court

  
Date Created: September 14, 2014
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      Nanoparticle-Decorated Micropillars As Integrated Raman Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry Substrates for Quantitative and High-Throughput Toxicology Drug Analysis
                  Evaluation of the Luxon Ion Source for Rapid Screening in Forensic Laboratories
                  An Examination of the Law Enforcement Role in Implementing Extreme Risk Protection Orders
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov