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Back Row (left to right): Brian Saccenti (Director, Decarceration Initiative), Melissa Rothstein (Project Manager, Decarceration Initiative), John A. Day (President, ACTL), Gordon Pack (Board Member, APDM), Zach Warren (Board Member, APDM). Front Row (left to right): Natasha Dartigue (Maryland State Public Defender), Alexandra Paradise (Board Chair, APDM), Johanna Leshner (Executive Director, APDM), Katy O'Donnell (Fellow, ACTL), Paul DeWolfe (Fellow, ACTL + Former Maryland S

Every summer, the Pauli Murray Diversity Leadership Initiative brings talented, mission-driven law students into the work of public defense. This year, we are proud to welcome Nnamdi Nnajiofor and Mell Then as our 2026 fellows. Nnamdi Nnajiofor grew up in Hamilton, New Jersey, and has spent the years since building toward a career in public defense with real intention. He studied political science at Rutgers University, earned a master's in public administration from George W

April is Second Chance Month—and in Maryland, implementation of the Second Look Act is now actively underway, opening a critical new phase of sentence review and representation. The Association for the Public Defender of Maryland in partnership with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, is meeting this moment by ensuring eligible individuals have access to counsel as they pursue sentence reconsideration and that counsel has the support and resources they need for that r

May 31 – June 2, 2026 Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina The Maryland Justice 4All Annual Conference , hosted by the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD), returns this spring for three days of learning, collaboration, and community. Designed for the full defense team, the conference features informative and practical programming with a focus on AI and its impact on criminal defense. Programming is designed for: Attorneys Social workers Paralegals

Over the past two years, APDM has served as fiscal sponsor and partner to the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC), a partnership between Maryland's Attorney General's Office and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD) supporting a statewide effort to examine racial disparities in Maryland’s criminal legal system and develop a roadmap for reform. That phase of the work has now concluded. With the completion of MEJC’s recommendations, the focus has shifted

As APDM continues to evolve, we’re reorganizing how we connect with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD) to strengthen collaboration and ensure our work remains closely aligned with OPD’s mission and needs. As part of this effort, we’re pleased to introduce two key partners who will help guide this next phase of coordination: Kirsten Downs Kirsten Downs, Director of Systemic Reform: Kirsten serves as OPD’s Director of Systemic Reform and will take on the liaison r

We are delighted to welcome Robert M. Johnson, Jr. to the APDM Board! A former public defender in Baltimore, Rob brings decades of...

We are thrilled to share that the Decarceration Initiative (DI) — a partnership between the Maryland Office of the Public Defender...

The Children’s Defense Intervention Project is a groundbreaking initiative that helps to provide secondary and tertiary gun violence...