Being convicted of a crime sets up barriers
to many opportunities in life.
Click here to see the Cost of Conviction.
First Defense Legal Aid
IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS BEING HELD IN CUSTODY BY THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT CALL 1-800-LAW-REP-4 FOR A FREE LAWYER, 24 HOURS A DAY.
For over 15 years, First Defense Legal Aid has been dedicated to issues of indigent defense, police accountability, and the protection of civil rights.
FDLA's mission is two-pronged: to ensure equal justice to people in custody at Chicago Police stations and to educate the people of Chicago about the power of their Constitutional rights.
First, FDLA provides a free, reliable, and experienced lawyer to individuals who are arrested in the city of Chicago. The FDLA attorney is available at the initial and most critical stage of the criminal justice process: from the time of arrest until the court system assigns a Public Defender. At the police station, the attorney helps the client understand and assert his or her rights, gathers information about arrest and detainment, documents evidence of police brutality, advocates for medical treatment, and informs the family and friends of the detainee throughout the process.
Second, in an effort to promote the Chicago Police Custody Hotline and educate Chicagoans on the power of their Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights, FDLA presents Street Law in schools and community groups. The Street Law presentations focus on what to do if you are stopped, searched, or arrested by the police, how to assert your rights on the street and at the station, and what to do if you feel that the police have violated your civil rights.
If you are interested in volunteering with FDLA, please complete
and submit a Volunteer Information Form.
Should you talk to the police? Your 5th Amendment Right to Silence explained:
FDLA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Please consider a donation today to help support our programs. By clicking the "Donate" button below, you will be taken to our secure PayPal donation page. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
ARRESTING JUSTICE:
A REPORT ABOUT JUVENILE ARRESTS IN CHICAGO, 2009 & 2010
First Defense Legal Aid and Project NIA believe that the first step to dramatically reducing juvenile arrests in Chicago is to mobilize our broader community to address the problem. Timely and relevant data documenting the scope of the issue is critical to such mobilization efforts. We hope that this report serves as a clarion call to those who are interested in preventing youth from getting caught up in the juvenile and criminal legal systems.
We hope to continue to update this report as more information about juvenile arrests in Chicago becomes available.
Our Mission
First Defense Legal Aid provides free, 24-hour, legal representation to people in Chicago Police Department custody and educates Chicagoans about how to protect their constitutional rights. We undertake these activities to promote fairness and accountability in the justice system.
We're proud of all we've accomplished this year!
