Legal Aid Society

2015

Victories on Behalf of New York’s Children and Mentally Ill

In 2015, The Legal Aid Society won a groundbreaking victory for the Sixth Amendment’s Right to Counsel, increased outreach to communities, expanded the outstanding advocacy to keep low-income families in their homes, secured a consent decree to curb the widespread physical abuse of prisoners on Riker’s Island, and fought for the rights of mentally disabled New Yorkers facing eviction.

Our staff also worked closely with the City and Family Court to ensure that children in upstate detention facilities would be moved “Close to Home.”