Equitable access to justice is a concept San Bernardino County Public Defender Thomas Sone brought up a few times when we were talking about the upcoming “Mobile Defense” RV that will be parked in Landers this Tuesday.
The program is the first of its kind in San Bernardino County, which is the largest county in the nation covering just over 20,000 square miles. A large percentage of that is the Mojave and the unincorporated settlements with dozens or even hundreds of miles of open desert between them, an easy place to keep to yourself in relative isolation. However, that also means that some residents of the County may be hours away from the closest courthouse, adding an extra layer of complexity to taking care of legal issues.
Public Defender Thomas Sone: “We talk about access and equitable access. There isn’t a whole lot in some of these remote areas, so our thought was how can we better our service and how can we better serve our communities by going to them? The majority of our clients don’t have reliable transportation so what happens is if they get cited for something – even something minor – they might not make it to court. They might not be able to make that 2-3 hour trek and if they don’t make that drive and a warrant is issued all of the sudden you have a downward spiral of negative consequences.”
That spiral of consequences can be really difficult to get out of, especially when things like having a valid driver’s license and a clear record are important steps in getting a job or renting a home.
It’s those types of situations that the public defender’s office wants to help clear up on Tuesday in Landers. They are bringing a team of lawyers, social workers, legal aid along with a judge who will be able to remotely clear bench warrants and help settle long outstanding fines or classes that might be troublesome for some out on summary probation:
Assistant Public Defender Kellie Byward: “That fine payment gets a lot of people because if you miss one it goes to warrant and they put a hold on your driver’s license so then your driver’s license is suspended.”
Byward says that in many cases, the laws have changed on how the court would even address some crimes now and there are probably folks out there with a record that could be cleared up simply by having a lawyer look over it.
Kellie Byward: There has been recognition by the legislature that these low-level crimes and things are hindering people’s ability to get good jobs, or (to do things like) volunteer to coach their kids’ soccer team. Even if somebody had something 15 years ago, what their experience was may not be how it would be addressed now. There’s a lot of automatic sealing for old cases that have been dismissed or even cases that weren’t dismissed. After a certain period it’s supposed to come off your rap sheet, and you should be able to answer questions via a potential employer differently than before as if the offense never happened.”
Social workers will also be present if someone needs help with something like jobs or housing – two things that can be difficult to acquire these days even if you don’t have a record. But alongside the lawyers, judges and legal aid there at the event – one group that won’t be present is law enforcement.
Thomas Sone: “I think it’s important for everybody that if they have a record or if they have anything in the past, to try and clear that record. If you’re trying to get employment or whatever it might be… I want people to know that they can trust us that we’re here to help.”
Kellie Byward: “I want people to understand that if they come they’re not required to use our services. If they come and talk to us and we say ‘look this is what we’d be able to offer you’ – we are not going to keep them there. If we can help them, we will.”
If you or someone you know has something on your record you’d like the Public Defender to look at – the Public Defender’s RV will be parked at the Calvary Chapel in Landers on Tuesday, May 21st, starting at 10AM and going until 2PM.
You don’t have to register ahead of time, but the Public Defender’s office says that signing up early helps them prepare any records they need ahead of the event and can help speed up any of the legal processes like clearing a bench warrant, or converting fines into community service.
All of the services offered are free.
You can register ahead of time here at this link, and if you’d like to email the County Public Defender’s office with any questions before the event, you can reach out at [email protected].
The Public Defender’s office says they hope to spread the word to get as many folks as they can out to the Landers event, and visibly building trust with the community is one of their most important goals.
Thomas Sone: “Just if the community sees us there as a first step and that we’re making an effort to build that relationship… that’s a success to me. If we even help one person out with a warrant – anything – I think that’s a success for what we’re trying to accomplish right now.”
