BeSustained National Well Being Study
BeSustained is developing the first of its kind national study of well-being in public defense. The findings and recommendations from this project will help support individual defenders, improve the organizations we work in, and inform the systems making budget and policy decisions that impact public defense. The future of public defense requires a community of thriving public defenders who are supported to provide client-centered advocacy, particularly in light of the current challenges that we face. This project will provide an evidence-based path toward this goal. See the downloadable announcement below.
Support Public Defense Well-Being, Increase Access to Justice.
BeSustained is transforming the criminal legal system with tools and training to sustain the well-being of public defenders and their organizations.
Our team has offered training, resources and consultation to public defenders nationwide. We provide specific strategies and tools to improve well-being of individual defenders and their organizations. We have seen these strategies transform the criminal legal system.
Our mission is to support the well-being of public defenders without financial barriers, so that defenders can thrive and provide access to justice to the people they represent. If you would like to donate to support this work, you can make a donation here. BeSustained is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit, ID 93-2945983.
Profiles of the work of our team.
The Relentless Mental Toll of Public Defense, Slate, 1/4/23
How Moral Injury, Stress, and Trauma Impact Public Defense with Jenny Andrews. Public Defenseless Podcast, Episode 40. (1:11:05) “Public defenders are often trapped between a rock and a hard place because they want to provide equal representation access, yet are expected to work too many hours for not enough pay. You’ll learn that public defense is an area of service, but that this often comes at the expense of the defender’s mental health. Jenny will walk you through how she’s helping implement self-care practices nationwide and why self-care is vital to providing zealous representation.”
The Essential Role of Social Work and Mitigation Specialists in Public Defense with Justin Heim. Justin Heim – Staff Development Program Specialist (Training Division), Wisconsin State Public Defender – joins this episode to breaks down what a social worker really is and helps us define their role in the legal system. “Trauma is something that is not only affecting the community but the agents working to help as well. Justin believes a renaissance is beginning as our culture accepts that emotional intelligence is an integral part to our functionality, both in and out of the system. Without pausing to process, we can easily endanger our community by not coming into these high risk situations with the compassion they deserve. I hope you leave today with a new perspective of our culture’s craving for punishment.”
Those Who Love the Fight l Episode 12: Sherr & Andrews, Moral Matters, 3/18/21. (48 min) “In this episode, Jenny Andrews, a public defender in Santa Barbara, CA, and Jeff Sherr, the Training Director for the National Association for Public Defense talk about why the language of moral injury matters for public defenders. Systemic obstacles preventing “gold standard” representation is a familiar frustration. Burdened by excessive caseloads, endless hours of work, and with their client’s freedom on the line, many public defenders are struggling to stay in the profession. Why? Just like healthcare workers, public defenders are experiencing moral injury.”
BeSustained 