"Where a white legal professional might see stats, I see people. Because, after all, the systemic issues that affect my clients have also affected me."
,
Hannah Williams will fill your inbox with voicemails until you call her back. If that’s what it takes to get her client’s case dismissed or their bail reduced, so be it.
“I’ve found that you have to be persistent if you want to get something done. When it comes to finding resources for our clients, we’re happy to make as many phone calls as necessary, send a million emails, and show up in person,” Hannah said. “That is what advocacy looks like.”
Hannah and her fellow Client Advocate, Shanai Watson, are six months into their fellowship with PFJ. They were placed with the Hinds County Public Defender in Jackson, Mississippi, as part of a PFJ special project called FOR THE DEFENSE. The project places two Client Advocates within the office and includes a fund for expert testimony—key components to protecting individuals from wrongful convictions and excessive incarceration.
Nationally, around one in every twenty imprisoned people may be innocent. There have been 28 exonerations in Mississippi since 1989, the vast majority including a false confession, bad forensic science, or misidentification—the exact thing investigators and expert witnesses can prevent. When you add Client Advocates to the mix, defenders can not only protect people in court, but also in the community.
“Our partnership with PFJ has proven to be an excellent relationship. Hannah and Shanai have been exceptional not only in their work product but also in their sincerity in what they offer to our office. Whether it's in staff meetings or meeting with clients or their families, they have shown high professionalism and they also possess the heart and spirit of someone you would hope to encounter in the criminal justice system," said Gail Wright Lowery, Hinds County Public Defender.
For Hannah and Shanai, the individuals they serve are far more than their charge sheet. It’s their job to show prosecutors and judges that there is inherent potential in each of their clients. Shanai and Hannah work with the office’s pre-indictment unit, connecting individuals with critical resources and collecting mitigating information to secure lower bail or dismiss a case outright.
“There is no way that our society is going to be able to grow into a more equitable place if people are not fighting for the people who are not spoken for”
Shanai tells the story of one individual she worked with. They were unhoused and were caught stealing food out of necessity. Shanai had three days to find them housing and mental health support, or else they would be charged with a felony. First, she turned to the resource guide that she and Hannah had developed (with 325 entries already!). Then, she cast her net far and wide, reaching out to transitional housing programs and mental health counseling that could offer stability. But like most things with the criminal legal system, it was not straightforward.
Some organizations didn’t have a phone number. Some didn’t have an email. Some didn’t have either. Most had stipulations that the client had to pay for their stay, an impossibility since the client was unhoused and had no family to rely on for financial support.
“I went through calling and emailing about 30 organizations … I had to get creative,” Shanai said.
Then, a breakthrough. She found an organization that, after some negotiation, accepted her client.
“I immediately took off running to the attorney's office to relay the information,” Shanai added.
The case was dismissed days later, and the client–who had no previous criminal record–was released from jail and no longer in jeopardy of a felony.
“I just felt so relieved that, on a macro-level, my work actually means something because it got results, but also, on a micro-level, the client is getting the help they need to build their life back up."
