Feature Friday: Southern Center for Human Rights

A couple of Fridays a month, I like to feature non-profits and changemakers on my blog to raise awareness of the great work they do, provide a dose of inspiration, and show that positive change is possible. Catch up on my other Feature Friday posts here.

This Friday, I would like to feature an incredible non-profit organization, the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR). From their website:

The Southern Center for Human Rights provides legal representation to people facing the death penalty, challenges human rights violations in prisons and jails, seeks through litigation and advocacy to improve legal representation for poor people accused of crimes, and advocates for criminal justice system reforms on behalf of those affected by the system in the Southern United States.

Considering my passion for criminal justice reform and the improvement of access to justice for the poor and marginalized, it’s clear that I think the SCHR is a great and much-needed organization. SCHR uses litigation to improve the criminal justice system, particularly when it comes to the application of the death penalty, unfair and inhumane prison and jail conditions, the right to competent legal counsel, debtors’ prisons (where people are imprisoned because of inability to pay fines), and fear-based policies spurred by policymakers who emphasize the need for public safety.

As you may know if you read this blog regularly, my particular passion centers around the right to high-quality legal counsel for all people, even the poor and marginalized. So it’s no surprise that one project of the SCHR, the Southern Public Defender Training Center (SPDTC), especially impressed me. The SPDTC trains newly minted public defenders throughout the south through a three-year training curriculum. Having worked with international organizations committed to improving access to justice by using a methodology of training public defenders in developing countries, I feel that this model can be incredibly effective in improving and expanding the quality of legal counsel available to the poor.

Check out the organization and it’s various projects, and I’m sure you’ll be impressed by their commitment to equal justice and criminal justice reform throughout the American South as well! The SCHR is a prime example of how litigation can be used to advocate for the rights of disadvantaged populations, and proves an effective model for non-profit law firms throughout the country.

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Cbennett

The SPDTC is truly special. So too are the public defenders who attend the center. The SPDTC is dedicated client centered advocacy. and to system reform. It helps public defenders improve their skills so that they can serve each client better. Reform will come one client at a time, one lawyer at a time. It takes courage and a hopeful heart to do this work. The folks who founded, run and attend SPDTC are all heroes in my book. We owe them our respect, admiration, support and gratitude.
R. Myers

You might be interested to know that the Southern Public Defender Training Center recently received designation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are pleased to announce that our inaugural class graduated in January 2010. A week ago we completed our annual Summer Institute, which welcomed the Class of 2010, an inspiring group of passionately committed PDs!
http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

Thanks for finding my blog and commenting! I'm glad you support the SPDTC and it's very exciting that they are officially an independent non-profit. Does this mean they are no longer under the SCHR?

I'm excited to hear about the developments and I hope all goes well for the organization's future!
http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

I'm glad to hear that they have a good approach to client-centered advocacy and systematic reform. These are the types of programs we need in the U.S. and indeed around the world to train public defenders to better serve their clients.

You're right — they are heroes in my book too!
Kathy Glover Harris

My son was incarcerated in the Decatur County jail in Bainbnridge,Georgia last May. He was assigned to a top bunk with no access to it other than to jump up. This he did and to to missing anchors, the bunk collapsed injuring him as well as the gentleman under him. He was transfered across the stree to the Decatur County Correctional Institute, where he remains today Feb. 1, 2011. He was finally evaluated at the orthopedic clinic here where they found that he has a compressed, bulging, leaking disc. The options given were epidural or surgery. He has opted for the surgery as if the epidural was effective, it is only temporary. He has been suffering for 8 months because the powers that be haven’t seen fit to act. He also suffered a life threatening allergic reaction to one of the three medications he was being given namely, tramadol,naproxin and prednisone. He has written request to call legal council(toll free) and has been denied permission as to this date. I have personally met with the warden Elijah McCoy requesting prompt action and was promised to be gotten in touch with by him within a day. This he has failed to do. It took me calling every 30 min. for a coule of hours before he had a message relayed to me by deputy warden Johnson stating that an appointment had been made with a back specialist to see if the request I made for back surgery is necessary. This was not “my” request it was the reccomendation of the orthopedic physican. My request was that it be carried out. This is, as I told the warden, a matter that needed to be tended to in an expedient manner as all it would take was a hit, a fall then my son could be paralized! I also told the warden I did not condone the action that won him the right to spend time within the correctional institute, nor had a problem with him returning after the surgery and recoupertion from it. He has the right to prompt and competent medical care and also the right to speak with council. Both of which he has been denied. I do have a request for the chairman of the Decatur County Board of comissioners to discuss this matter and hopefully get it resolved. This request was to be delivered to him upon his return to town (no later than the middle of next week) by Mae Johnson sec/receptionist. Surely, schr can assist in correcting the violation of my sons human and civil rights. Will you help please? Sincerely Kathy Harris

http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

Kathy, I am sorry for all the difficulties you and your son are having, and I sincerely hope his health improves and he is adequately treated while in prison. Unfortunately, I do not work for the Southern Center for Human Rights and I would urge you to directly contact them. Their website is: http://www.schr.org/. And here is their contact info:
Southern Center for Human Rights | 83 Poplar St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 | p.404.688.1202 | f.404.688.9440
I hope this helps and best of luck in solving this problem!