BJA FY 15 Smart Defense Initiative: Improving Public Defense Delivery Systems

BJA's Smart Defense Initiative is designed to promote effective data-driven, research-based approaches to public defenders, contract attorneys and assigned counsel representing indigent defendants, and defense-led justice systems innovations and reforms. The Smart Defense model builds off of the lessons learned from BJA's "Smart Suite" of crime fighting programs. Smart Defense will pair an operational, results focused researcher with a defense attorney to develop data-driven solutions which create effective, efficient, and just defense strategies which will ultimately ensure the fair administration of justice. It will provide other valuable resources to equip a defender to access data across various criminal justice and non-criminal justice information systems to improve results for communities. BJA will use the lessons learned to develop a rich body of evidence for use by defenders representing the indigent nationally as they ensure the fair administration of justice and improve public defense delivery systems.