The Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center is a nonpartisan center for research and advocacy at SMU Dedman School of Law dedicated to making impactful change to the criminal legal system. The Center combines data-driven research and compelling stories to advocate for innovative reform. The Center prides itself on its collaborative interdisciplinary process, as well as its fast-paced, informal environment.

The Deason Center is respected nationwide for its expertise on the right to counsel and the early stage criminal process. In recent years, the Center has published several research and policy papers on the process for appointing counsel and the importance of counsel at initial appearance. The Day One Campaign will expand this work by pursuing critical reforms that guarantee:

• Initial appearance within 24 hours of arrest
• Counsel at initial appearance
• Continuous representation from initial appearance to disposition

The Day One Campaign Director will be an experienced legal and policy advocate who spearheads the Center’s grant-funded Day One work. Day One is a national campaign to advance the constitutional right to counsel by providing prompt and effective representation for every arrested person. The Campaign Director will coordinate this multi-state campaign, lead the Center’s reform efforts in several target jurisdictions, and manage grant compliance.

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