Services of the CDRC

The Criminal Defense Resource Center (CDRC) of the State Appellate Defender Office was formed in 1977 in response to a growing demand from the private bar for help with criminal cases. Recognizing the collective legal expertise of SADO attorneys who practice only criminal law, attorneys throughout Michigan quickly came to depend on the CDRC for support. When federal grant funding elapsed after a few years, CDRC funding was assumed by SADO. It is currently funded through a combination of the SADO budget, user fees, and grants from the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards. In previous years, the Michigan State Bar Foundation and federal Bureau of Justice Assistance also provided grant funding for support services.

The CDRC's Director is Dawn Van Hoek, who may be contacted by surface mail at 645 Griswold, 3300 Penobscot, Detroit, MI 48226, or by e-mail, dvanhoek@sado.org. The Administrator of this Web site is John Powell, who may be contacted by e-mail, jpowell@sado.org.

The following products and services are currently available on a subscription basis from the Criminal Defense Resource Center:

Criminal Defense Database : Full Description

Searchable online database containing pleadings, summaries of criminal Michigan Court of Appeals and Supreme Court decisions, summaries and full text of selected unpublished Michigan Court of Appeals decisions, summaries of United States Supreme Court decisions, selected Sixth Circuit and District court decisions, all issues of Criminal Defense Newsletter, Defender Trial, Motions, and Plea, Sentencing & Post-Conviction Books, and other collections. Access: open.

Criminal Defense Database, Expert Witness Database & Forum : Full Description

All resources listed above, plus, searchable database of expert prosecution and police witnesses, and membership in the Forum (600+ criminal defense attorneys in statewide listserv). Access: criminal defense attorneys.

Criminal Defense Newsletter : Full Description
Near-monthly hardcopy newsletter containing lead in-depth article, practice notes, selected circuit court opinions, summaries of appellate decisions and court rule changes, training calendars. Access: open.

Summaries of Appellate Decisions : Full Description

Summaries of all published criminal decisions of the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court, including grants of leave and selected orders, all criminal decisions of the United States Supreme Court, and selected Sixth Circuit and District Court decisions. Also selected unpublished Michigan Court of Appeals decisions. Distributed by e-mail. Access: open.

Defender Trial, Motions, Sentencing and Habeas Books : Full Description

Four-binder set containing concise summaries of relevant authority on topics from arrest through sentencing and appeal. Access: open.

Current case summaries, training calendars, and bulletins are available to all on the CDRC's Home Page without charge. Modest charges, intended to cover some costs, are imposed for access to online databases, hard copy of newsletters and case summaries, and manuals.

To obtain any of the Criminal Defense Resource Center's services, please send the subscription form, a check, and any other necessary documentation to CDRC. We will start your services immediately upon receipt.