Northwest Defenders Association

The Public Defender Association (PDA) is a non-profit corporation which advocates for justice system reform and develops alternatives that shift from a punishment paradigm to a system that supports individual and community health. The company also provide technical assistance to community partners who are committed to these goals. Since 1998, PDA h... as housed the Racial Disparity Project (RDP), working to reduce racial disparity in the justice system. The RDP organized the Drive to Survive Campaign in its formative years, launching driver re-licensing programs throughout Washington State in recognition that people of color disproportionately and in large numbers were losing their licenses due to unpaid traffic fines. Drive to Survive eventually succeeded in repealing Seattle's impoundment program which seized and often sold cars driven by suspended drivers, under the deceptively appealing logic of "jail the cars, not the people," and persuaded King County not to pass a similar impoundment law. The RDP also reformed Washington's pre-trial release rules, worked with community partners to champion police reform, and litigated a high-profile challenge to racial disparity in Seattle drug arrests. After nine years, that litigation led to a remarkable collaboration with the company's previous opponents. The company launched the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD®) program in 2011, in partnership with the Seattle Police Department, the King County Sheriff, the King County Prosecutor, the Seattle City Attorney, the Seattle Mayor's Office, the King County Executive, the Seattle City Council, the King County Council, the ACLU-WA, and a wide array of neighborhood and public safety leaders. LEAD® reduces racial disparity in the justice system by providing an alternative outcome for police engagement with people who commit law violations due to unmet behavioral health needs, particularly addiction. PDA serves as Project Manager for the flagship LEAD® program in Seattle/King County. The company is a partner in the LEAD ...Read More