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Key Findings

1. Over a ten-year study period, holistic representation in the Bronx prevented more than 1 million days of incarceration.
2. Holistic defense reduced the likelihood of a prison sentence by 16 percent — and actual prison-sentence length by 24 percent.
3. Holistic representation of clients saved taxpayers an estimated $160 million in inmate housing costs alone.
4. Despite higher pre- and post-trial release rates, ten years after case resolution, defendants who received holistic representation committed no more crime than those who were incarcerated for longer periods.
5. Holistic defense can significantly reduce incarceration and save taxpayer dollars — without harming public safety.

On any given day, the vast majority of criminal defendants in America's courtrooms cannot afford to pay for a lawyer. Given that court-appointed counsel will critically shape the experience of these defendants — many of whom also struggle with drug addiction, mental illness, homelessness, and other chronic problems — it is notable that, to date, little attention has been paid to indigent defense in the ongoing conversation about criminal justice reform and the seemingly intractable problem of mass incarceration in the United States. This trend in part reflects the lack of a robust body of evidence-based research on indigent defense, without which it has been difficult to identify an effective reform agenda.