Students in Justice Lab are representing three organizational clients this semester. One client, the Montgomery County Public Defender Office, has asked Justice Lab to develop strategies to incorporate reentry into the Office’s holistic approach to criminal defense.
Students are focusing on early interventions, including at the pre-trial phase, for individuals charged with crimes. A few weeks into the semester, students are connecting with critical stakeholders, including lawyers and other service providers inside and outside the Office to fully understand the impact of incarceration on Montgomery County residents.
Amanda Cappelletti L’17 is one of the Justice Lab student attorneys. After attending a community meeting with her client, she reflects: “So much of what I heard about the toll incarceration and arrests are taking on the individual and the community was unfair and it made me sad and angry. There was a lot of talk about the injustices often faced by people in their community. But at the same time, I think I also felt some hope. I was sitting with a group of people, who for no other reason than selflessness, wanted to find some way.”