Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice

09/29/2026

September marks the three-year anniversary of the elimination of cash bail in Illinois—here's what we're reading to better understand its effects and current status:

https://abc7chicago.com/post/safe-act-illinois-marks-3-year-anniversary-cash-bail-elimination-amid-debate-impact/19847701/

https://loyolaccj.org/blog/pretrial-detention-and-supervision-under-the-pfa

https://www.illinoispolicy.org/did-ending-cash-bail-increase-crime-illinois/

09/28/2026

What is the right role for holistic public defense in our criminal legal system? Watch Quattrone Center research fellow Ethan Lowens share his thoughts on what holistic public defense can and cannot do.

09/25/2026

Chronic underfunding and crushing workloads have stretched public defense to a breaking point—a systemic flaw thoroughly documented by the Quattrone Center's research on indigent defense funding.

Robert C. Boruchowitz of the Seattle University School of Law breaks down Washington's public defender crisis in his recent piece for the Washington State Bar News. Following a June 2025 Washington Supreme Court ruling and new standards set by the Washington State Bar Association, the state faces a mandated reduction in public defender caseloads to address historic overwork, with maximum annual limits dropping significantly.

The key takeaways:

➔Case loads are outdated

➔Severe funding gaps and inequities persist

➔A persistent lack of salary parity with prosecutors' offices and essential support staff

As national conversations explore bold structural interventions, such as a recent New York Times look at whether alternative pipelines into public defense could help lighten the load and improve outcomes—it is clear that creative solutions are urgently needed.

While this funding crisis presents immense challenges, it also offers a vital catalyst to rethink the criminal legal system as a whole, driving toward meaningful systemic reform and diversion.

Explore the research and reporting:

https://wabarnews.org/2026/09/10/public-defense-crisis-is-an-opportunity-for-change/

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/12/headway/can-a-teach-for-america-model-save-public-defense.html

https://www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/quattronecenter/reports/indigent-defense-funding/

09/22/2026

Plea bargains are supposed to mirror trial outcomes, but the incentive structure often pressures defendants to plead guilty. Quattrone Center Summer Research Assistant Sebastian Smith shared his thoughts on coercive plea bargaining, and five reforms that could help address it. Do you agree with the reforms? Let us know in the comments below.

09/22/2026

Fred Steese spent over two decades wrongfully imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit. Even after exoneration and receiving a settlement, he couldn't be repaid what mattered most: time.

"I’m sobered that his death means he spent more time fighting to clear his name than he got to enjoy his freedom. He deserved 40 more years," noted reporter Megan Rose, who followed Steese’s case for years.

He only got 13 years of freedom before cancer cut his life short. A heartbreaking look at the lingering, irreversible toll of wrongful convictions via ProPublica:

For years, I followed the case of Fred Steese, who spent 21 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. When he died in August, it felt like the universe had dealt him yet another injustice.

09/17/2026

Is bail reform working? QC Academic Director Paul Heaton shares the results of our study in Houston after the county eliminated cash bail for low-level offenses. What we found after looking at tens of thousands of cases:

-People released without bail were less likely to commit another crime.
-The county saved money by reducing hearings and incarcerations
-Conviction rates were reduced.

Head to QuattroneCenter.org to review the full study and others like it.

09/16/2026

From hard-fought wins to the systemic barriers reminding us how much work remains, here’s what we’re reading on wrongful convictions this week.

Check out our latest curated reads, featuring reporting from NYT, Davis Vanguard, Death Penalty Information Center, and more.

Colorado Lab Analyst Missy Woods was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manipulating DNA evidence: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/08/former-lab-analyst-sentenced-manipulating-dna

The city of New Haven, CT, will $30.5M to two wrongfully convicted men to settle a federal lawsuit: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/nyregion/new-haven-wrongful-conviction-payout.html

Jim Pavatt is scheduled to be executed Nov. 12 in Oklahoma despite his claims of innocence: https://davisvanguard.org/2026/08/jim-pavatt-execution-november/

Iris Seabolt was exonerated this month in Indiana after serving 19 years in prison for a crime she didn't commit: https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/notre-dame-exoneration-justice-clinic-client-iris-seabolt-exonerated/

Authorities accused Missy Woods of altering years worth of data in cases involving homicide, sexual assault and robbery

09/15/2026

"We're all looking for a system that really works for public safety but doesn't create more harm." Advocate and strategist Celeste Trusty sat down with the QC team to talk about why second chances must be part of a fair and equal criminal legal system.

09/14/2026

What happens when public defenders have advocates working alongside them to address the broader needs that often affect a criminal case?

That's the question being answered by new research from the Quattrone Center's Paul Heaton and Haley Sturges in collaboration with Partners for Justice.

Read more in Saturday's New York Times for more on the study's results and what they mean for the future of holistic defense: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/12/headway/can-a-teach-for-america-model-save-public-defense.html

09/12/2026

Holistic defense — the model of "putting clients lives, not just their cases, first" — is having a profound impact on reducing incarceration without compromising public safety.

The NY Times today profiles Partners for Justice, citing the research of QC Academic Director Paul Heaton, Data Analyst Haley Sturges, and others finding that adding client advocates increased the number of cases dismissed or resulting in diversion by almost 50 percent.

Read the full article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/12/headway/can-a-teach-for-america-model-save-public-defense.html?unlocked_article_code=1.AlE.tOpa.X2cH-rQQ9oGZ&smid=url-share