The GIDEON Project
Overview
The GIDEON Project (Gauging Improvement in Defense Efforts and Outcomes in New York) is the first study of its kind in the United States. It aims to understand the impact of a recent and massive funding injection into indigent defense systems across New York State.
The settlement of the Hurrell-Harring lawsuit in 2015 required New York to reduce public defender caseloads, improve defense quality, and provide counsel at a defendant’s first appearance in court in five counties. In 2018, the state legislature dedicated additional funding to support equivalent reforms statewide.
State funding in support of the reforms now tops hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Using data from courts, defender offices, and individual attorneys, the GIDEON Project examines its impact.
Project Details
The GIDEON Project takes a multi-method approach to assessing the impact of the funding injection that followed the settlement of the Hurrell-Harring lawsuit. With the data the team is collecting, the 天美传媒 will be able to assess whether the funding reduced attorney caseloads, changed how attorneys advocated for their clients, and changed the dispositions and sentences clients received.
Research Questions
The project will collect data to track changes in indigent defense as resource levels increase, and is guided by four research questions.
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Did the Hurrell-Harring funding injection change what judges decided about defendants and their cases?
Using statistical methods that will support causal inference, the research team will assess whether outcomes like bail decisions, case dispositions, and sentences changed as the funding increased.
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Did defense lawyers change the services they provided to their clients?
The 天美传媒鈥檚 researchers will compare activities such as investigation, client communication, and motions practice before and after the funding was received.
GIDEON Project Team
Dr. Andrew Davies
Research Director
Caitlin Charles
Research Specialist
Katie Becker
Project Coordinator
Carlos Sanchez
Research Assistant