Michigan State Appellate Defender Office and Criminal Defense Resource Center

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SADO Launches "Community Resource" Database

Dozens of Resources Identified in Communites around Michigan

As part of a grant awarded to the State Appellate Defender Office, SADO is pleased to announce a new database on our website identifying resources in communities around the State of Michigan.  Designed for defendants with a real possibility of a community sanction at sentencing or those reentering the community post-sentence, the database will put people in touch with a variety of resources including but not limited to employment, housing, education, drug and alcohol treatment, mental health, and financial planning.  Defense attorneys can use the database to identify appropriate resources for a sentencing plan.  Within the database, the services can be isolated by county and refined by various criteria including
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SADO Conducts Training on Use of COMPAS at Sentencing

Critical Session Scheduled for Defense Attorneys at Cooley Law School Campuses

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School and the Criminal Defense Resource Center of the State Appellate Defender Office presents a criminal justice training event for criminal defense attorneys, probation agents, prosecutors & judges.  Use of COMPAS at Sentencing - What Every Defense Attorney Needs to Know is a a primer with an emphasis on the meaning of the COMPAS scores, reliability of the scores, limitations on their use and the constitutional and state-law objections to raise at sentencing hearings.  COMPAS (Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions) is a computerized assessment and case management system created by the Northpointe Institute for Public Management.  Michigan will begin using the risk Read more

SADO Offers Support to Criminal Defense Attorneys Facing Discipline

SADO Partners with Attorney Discipline Agencies on Innovative Project

Support is on the way for criminal defense attorneys in Michigan who face discipline proceedings for conduct arising from a criminal case. Many attorneys handling these challenging cases are in solo practices, receiving modest pay as assigned counsel and lacking access to experienced colleagues. To address the need for resources and a support community, SADO will provide both training and access to online resources for criminal defense attorneys who are referred by either the Attorney Grievance Administrator (AGC) or Attorney Discipline Board (ADB) panels. The support will function much as other tools available within the disciplinary system, such as the Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program, which helps attorney with Read more

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This project was funded by the Byrne JAG grant #2010-DJ-BX-0003, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and administered by the Michigan state Police (MSP). Points of view or opinions contained within this document do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the MSP or DOJ.