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New Reality Show Focuses On Brooklyn's Public Defenders
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 11, 2012
Modified Sep 11, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 11, 2012
Modified Sep 11, 2012
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The Brooklyn Legal Aid Society's Criminal Division Unit is the subject of a new two-part reality series on National Geographic. Entitled Criminal Defense: And Justice For All, the series will premiere tonight and showcases the prestigious criminal defense unit, which is the largest public defender program in the country, handling more than 230,000 cases annually with around 550 staff attorneys.
The show is a sort of counterbalance to HBO's recent documentary on the Sex Crimes Unit of the Manhattan DA's office, which became embroiled in scandal after several high profile miscues, notably the "Rape Cop" trial of former NYPD officers Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata and the rape charges against former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Khan. The head of the unit who was the subject of the documentary, Lisa Friel, left the DA's office last summer amid rumors that she was actually fired.
Here's a clip from the show in which Legal Aid attorney Adam Heyman climbs a fire escape in an attempt to prove that the police's testimony in the case of his client was false. The show's first episode airs tonight at 10 p.m.
Tagged
brooklyn
legal aid society
national geographic
public defenders
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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