Friday, March 03, 2023

DOJ meets with FPD Michael Caruso and local bar re "Gideon Tour"

 It was the big ABA White Collar shindig this week in Miami.  1200 white collar prosecutors, defense lawyers, and federal judges descended upon the Hyatt and mingled all week.  DAG Lisa Monaco was also here.  In addition to giving a speech at the conference, she sat down with Michael Caruso, Henry Bell, Margot Moss, and others as part of DOJ's "Gideon Tour."  The Miami Herald has more:

Caruso, who oversees 50 assistant public defenders in the Southern District of Florida, described how the landmark Gideon decision and then passage of the Criminal Justice Act paved the way for indigent people to be represented by federally funded private attorneys and eventually public defenders in the 1960s. But at the meeting, Caruso highlighted shortcomings in the system, zeroing in on a defendant’s lack of access to a lawyer immediately after his arrest and placement in the Federal Detention Center. “In our district, an accused may not have a lawyer at various critical stages — like the initial appearance and bail hearing [in court],” Caruso said. “Those in prison — many of whom are seriously ill or who have a loved one who requires care-taking — may not have a lawyer to seek a compassionate release.

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