*All letters are posted in their original format
July 7, 2023
A Community Commitment To the Editor: Louis Lombardi
A long journey has led to a new beginning. In 2021, the Oswego County Legislature voted to establish a public defender’s office to represent those who have been accused of committing crimes and cannot afford to hire their own legal counsel.
The idea and creation of this office is one based on fairness. When the resources of the state are aligned against you, it is only fair that you can challenge the narrative set against you. To do that, you must have the resources at hand. Resources take money and a lack of funds should not stand in the way of one’s freedom.
The mission of our office is simple; and that is to represent our client’s best interest. But what does that entail? Our office will support our clients by implementing three main goals.
First and foremost, we ask if the facts and the law support the charges? We must remember that there is no justice in prosecuting and incarcerating an innocent person – not for any victim of a crime, not for society and most importantly, not for the wrongly accused.
In support of this goal, our attorneys and support staff will work together to represent our client’s interest. This includes an investigative team that will test the facts of the case and uncover additional truths to disprove the allegations against the accused.
A vigorous defense begins with challenging the narrative, but it does not end there. Our second goal is to look at the facts and the law and determine whether, although they may not fully exonerate the client, they may mitigate responsibility so that any punishment or required treatment would be adjusted to fit the client’s unique circumstance?
In order for this office to understand each client’s individual needs and assess the potential issue of mitigation (such as drug, alcohol or mental health), we will have a licensed social worker as part of the investigative team. The social worker can report their findings to the court as to responsibility for the client’s actions in any court proceeding as well as get the client the services needed to help deal with problems that result in potential criminal activity.
A person who receives help with any underlying disorder is less likely to re-offend, which leads to this office’s third goal to help our clients – rehabilitation.
In some circles, the root cause of crime is simply attributed to poverty; however, this is not necessarily the case as the vast majority of poor families do not commit crime. True indicators of one’s propensity to commit crime include coming from a “broken home,” experiencing a lack of education or suffering from substance abuse.
To break this cycle of crime, we must repair the damage done by these root causes. If successful, the rate of recidivism should decrease. Our office will be able to employ a holistic approach to help our clients who come in contact with the criminal justice system due to their behavioral issues.
This is a key difference from private representation. Our office will have the resources to not only resolve the client’s current pending legal issues but any underlying issues that placed that person in legal jeopardy to begin with.
We must keep in mind that, like a coin, there are two sides to justice – prosecution and defense. For justice to prevail, both sides must operate on equal footing. With community support, the Oswego County Public Defender’s Office will investigate and defend those charged with violating the law. Only then, upon the foundation of fairness, will justice be truly served.
Louis Lombardi
Oswego County Public Defender [email protected]
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