2026 Equal Justice Conference

Participatory Defense is a community organizing model that empowers people facing charges and their families to shift power in the courtroom. It centers family and community strength, positions impacted people as organizers and agents of change, and uses individual cases to build a movement to hold courts accountable and end mass incarceration. This workshop explores partnerships between communities and public defender offices to challenge harmful policies, strengthen defense efforts, and leverage community power to bring loved ones home and drive systemic change.