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TTA in California

See what Sixth Amendment work is happening in California.


We have worked with the Santa Barbara County Executive Office to:

  • Reduce the number of continuances and delays in Santa Barbara’s Superior Courts by improving the discovery process, access to in-custody defendants, and the Superior Court calendar system
  • Provide assistance in the development of an email system that allows defense attorneys to have non-confidential but regular email communication with in-custody defendants
  • Increase efficiency and fairness for defendants with a focus on preparation of pretrial services reports in advance of virtual arraignment and the presence of probation at every arraignment and electronic transmission of discovery

We are working with the Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s Office and the Center for Justice Innovation (CJI) to:

  • Provide training and technical assistance with support from CJI’s experienced attorney-practitioners and researchers
    • This will include remote learning sessions with defense attorneys, law enforcement officers, and other criminal legal system stakeholders from jurisdictions where legal representation is available at the police precinct
  • Evaluate the pre-arraignment representation pilot (police station representation) program in Santa Barbara County
    • This will include an on-site needs and readiness assessment conducted by attorney-practitioners to help the site understand the functioning of early representation in their local criminal legal system and to determine the feasibility of implementing police precinct representation

We are working with the Santa Barbara County Public Defender's Office to:

  •  develop a comprehensive trial skills training program in Santa Barbara

We worked with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office to:

  • Create an interactive training program featuring both pre-recorded and live web-based training
  • Curate and share a library of on-demand video content focusing on developing case theories and themes, crafting opening and closing statements, voir dire, and critical direct and cross-examination skills
  • Host a live, web-based training program featuring 4 interactive skill development sessions where--working with a national faculty of experienced trainers and defense attorneys-- participants honed their skills

We worked with the Santa Cruz Public Defender's Office to:

  • Identify model practices relating to developing holistic defense services and the use of vertical representation
  • Develop a training program to educate defense lawyers transitioning from the existing, traditional model of advocacy to the utilization of holistic and vertical representation
    • This project included trainings for the Santa Cruz PD Office's supervisors and leadership, as well as a two-day, interactive training on holistic defense for public defenders, court appointed counsel, social workers, investigators, and peer advocates

We worked with the California Office of the State Public Defender’s Indigent Defense Improvement Division to:

  • Providing funding to allow IDID to bring a national speaker to a regional training program on DNA and forensics

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Strengthening the Sixth


The Center for Justice Innovation is a training and technical assistance provider to the Bureau of Justice Assistance through the Justice for All program. The Center for Justice Innovation (the Center) and its partner are managing, enhancing, and expanding the Strengthening the Sixth website. For more information about the Center, visit www.innovatingjustice.org. The Strengthening the Sixth Website is supported by Grant No. 15PBJA-22-GK-01567-JAGJ awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office of Victims of Crimes, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions on this website do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website, including, without limitations, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided.