Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Criminal trespassing charges have been dismissed for three KU students who were arrested in May while protesting with KU Students for Justice in Palestine.
The attorneys of Kansas Holistic Defenders saw two-thirds of their clients’ misdemeanor charges dismissed or poised for likely dismissal from September 2022 through September 2023.
Kansas Holistic Defenders has recognized Teamsters Local 696 as the bargaining agent for their team of public defenders, social workers and advocates.
After hours of questions and public comments about two competing proposals for criminal defense services, the Douglas County Commission on Wednesday selected Kansas Holistic Defenders.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Two competing proposals on the table aim to improve outcomes for defendants charged with misdemeanors in Douglas County, but they could also bring a slew of new problems.
With two proposals for local misdemeanor defense offices on the table, Douglas County commissioners voiced some concerns and established a process Wednesday to evaluate their options.
As Douglas County’s annual budget hearings began Monday, commissioners heard a funding request from a new nonprofit criminal defense office. Sam Allison-Natale, chair of Kansas Holistic Defenders, took questions about how the organization aims to improve outcomes and handling of misdemeanor cases in Douglas County.
Mac Moore
Jerome Edwards said during a panel Saturday that Juneteenth is a celebration of the abolition of slavery — but the penal system is part of slavery. He and other panelists said the “so-called justice system” needs to be dismantled.
