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How VFTP Got Started
The Virginia Fair Trial Project (VFTP) is a statewide, non-profit organization whose mission is to help ensure that Virginia's poorest citizens have effective representation of counsel, as the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees. VFTP proposes to accomplish its mission through reform of the state's indigent defense system, which has been recognized nationally for its inadequate fee structure for court-appointed attorneys and lack of resources for public defenders. Since its inception in 2002, VFTP has been the unifying organization for research, public education, and reform efforts from the grassroots to the grass-tops levels. Through its ongoing education and awareness programs, VFTP hopes to convince elected officials of their responsibility to repair Virginia's broken indigent defense system. VFTP has aided the lobbying efforts of our partner organizations in past legislative sessions by providing the partners with data and statistics on caseloads, court-appointed fees, the fiscal impact of waivers and the availability of resources such as investigators. The Virginia Fair Trial Project is a coalition built from organizations and individuals in the legal, faith-based, mental health and juvenile justice communities who recognized the need for reform in Virginia. VFTP began its work by identifying and targeting all of the various interests who could help reform Virginia's indigent defense system. This effort has included outreach to groups representing victims of the state's inadequate indigent defense system, lawyers' organizations, and the Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court. To date, VFTP has made significant progress in building a broad based coalition by formulating well documented and detailed proposals for improvement that have been widely endorsed. As a result, VFTP's executive director and board leaders have become the recognized experts on the subject of indigent defense in the Commonwealth. During its first four years, VFTP has participated in key roles in dozens of activities ranging from educational forums at the grassroots level to research projects sponsored by the governor, legislative committees and appointed commissions. VFTP has been the principal sponsor of some of these activities. Sponsoring Organizations The Virginia Trial Lawyers Foundation (VTLF), in partnership with the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (VTLA), Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL), Virginia Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (Virginia CURE), Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP), and the American Bar Association Mid-Atlantic Juvenile Defender Center, joined together to build a broad-based coalition. The VFTP is composed of members of the following organizations and other community, criminal and juvenile justice system stakeholders. Virginia CURE www.vacure.org VA CURE advocates for prevention and intervention programs in Virginia communities and prisons. Its members and board of directors include prisoners, ex-offenders, families of incarcerated individuals, prison chaplains, and concerned citizens. The organization publishes a quarterly newsletter, InsideOut that is mailed to members, policymakers, and the press; tracks legislation in the Virginia General Assembly affecting prisoners and their loved ones; and organizes advocacy days for families and supporters to meet their state representatives. Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy www.vicpp.org VICPP is the only statewide, interfaith partnership focused on faith-based citizenship and advocacy in Virginia. VICPP includes nineteen Christian judicatories, three Jewish federations, the Islamic Center of Virginia, the Virginia Council of Churches, Chaplain Services of the Churches of Virginia, a number of congregations, and many individuals. VICPP has been successful in advocating for income tax credit for low-income persons, relief from predatory payday lenders, increase in benefits for TANF recipients, funding for childcare, and continuity in the provision of housing services. Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers www.vacdl.org The VACDL is a statewide organization whose mission is "to protect and ensure by rule of law those individual rights guaranteed by the Virginia and federal constitutions in criminal cases; to resist efforts to curtail such rights; to encourage cooperation among lawyers through education programs and other assistance; and through such cooperation, education and assistance to promote justice in the common good." VACDL’s members and leaders include public defenders, court-appointed attorneys, and private defense lawyers. Virginia Trial Lawyers Association www.vtla.com The VTLA has 2,700 members statewide, including both criminal and civil trial attorneys. Its Criminal Law Section has been an active voice on criminal justice issues in the general assembly and throughout the state. VTLA has significant experience in developing and implementing educational programs, including a campaign for bicycle safety, which involved community outreach by volunteer teams, and a teaching video, "The Road to Virginia Justice," which educates students on the dual civil and criminal legal systems. A number of other organizations are invaluable members and supporters of the coalition and continue to take leadership roles in its initiatives, including the:
The VFTP currently receives funding from the following organizations:
Click here to view a PDF version of our Mission Statement and History from our VFTP Press Kit. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file. If you do not have this software installed on your computer, click here to download the free Acrobat Reader. |
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