FUTURESAVERS

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FUTURESAVER OF THE WEEK ENDING 9-9-2000

Kate Walz is the executive director of First Defense Legal Aid in Chicago which is a project of Chicago Commons Association. First Defense is a free legal service available to those under arrest at Chicago police stations. Such a service should be available at all police stations everywhere but it is not available at most police stations. If it were available most wrongful convictions and coerced confessions could be eliminated. First Defense has about 60 on-call attorneys who respond to nearly 2000 requests for aid each year. Police often focus on the wrong suspect and when they do, First Defense can shift the dynamic from getting a confession and "closing" the case to finding the real perpetrator. All interrogations should be videotaped in their entirety for real justice to occur. First Defense is especially necessary for arrested children and to help prevent police abuse. For increasing the level of justice in Chicago and for acting as a role model for how to increase justice everywhere, Kate Walz has been named Futuresaver of the Week. Click the links below for more information.

Links to other sites on the Web

Kate (mother JONES)
Kate (Community Media Workshop)