BERRIEN COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE HOST’S A “DRESS FOR SUCCESS” CLOTHING DRIVE

By DEBRA HAIGHT

BCR Correspondent

ST. JOSEPH – Berrien County has long been at the forefront of cutting edge justice efforts in the state as one of seven counties to pioneer a unified trial court system two decades ago. Now, the county is leading the push to do more for indigent criminal defendants.

Area residents have the chance to do their part to help out in that endeavor today, May 16. The Berrien County Public Defender Office is hosting a “Dress for Success” clothing drive at their 100 Church Street office in St. Joseph. The clothing drive will run from 12-7 p.m.

The clothing drive is being co-sponsored by Mosaic and the S.H.A.R.P. Foundation. People are being asked to donate men’s and women’s gently used business clothing including suits, pants, blazers, dress shirts, dresses, skirts and blouses as well as shoes, ties, handbags and other accessories.

Berrien County Chief Public Defender Christopher Renna said his office was glad to take part in the clothing drive. “We had a situation several weeks

ago when a man was released from jail and did not have the appropriate clothes for the weather, he didn’t have the resources to face the cold,” he said.

“That got us thinking and we got together with Mosaic and S.H.A.R.P. to get some clothes together for people,” he added. “That also led to the bigger picture that this would help people transition better in the community including being able to get and keep employment. That first impression people make is important.”

“We also want to help people keep that momentum and have clothes they can wear every day on the job,” he said. “It’s important for people to have access to that. We have a lot of poor communities around the county and they would benefit from having access to a little bit of clothes to get and keep jobs.”

Renna said his office is also working with other organizations to help in other areas. For example, he and his staff are forging ties with organizations to help people with housing, counseling and mental health needs. “We want to be in a position to partner with them so we can refer people to these organizations,” he said.

“We want to help people figure out a plan so they can better handle life on the outside,” he added. “We’ve seen instances where people have plans to change but then they get back in their old habits.”

Renna has been the head of the public defender office for a little less than a year, taking over after Carl Macpherson resigned to take a position in Oregon. “I came here a year and a half ago from Saginaw to work with Carl who is a hero to myself and others,” he said.

He reported that changes are coming to the Public Defender Office this year. The office was created in 2017 to address the need to provide better service to indigent clients. As he noted last fall, the Berrien County office is becoming a model for other counties around the state in the effort to improve indigent defense services.

Renna said last week that he is applying for a state grant that would allow his office to add to his staff by hiring five attorneys rather than contract with private lawyers in the area. His office currently has 12 full time attorneys.

He said several of the contract attorneys his office works with have indicated that they don’t plan to continue handling misdemeanor cases for the office. “We had been contracting out misdemeanor cases to outside attorneys and that’s not practical for next year as they’re not renewing their contract with us,” he said.

The state grant will pay the salaries for five new attorneys as well as other costs. Renna said that means the county is applying for $2.5 million from the state which includes $1 million for the five new attorneys. The county’s cost will go up only slightly, from $220,000 to $350,000. “It’s an unbelievable cost savings to the county,” he said.

He said the state is expected to act on the grant request in coming weeks and months, at which time the Berrien County Board of Commissioners will formally vote to accept the grant. He said he expects new lawyers to be hired and be working in his office in early 2020.

In addition, he reported that one of the contract attorneys has been hired as Renna’s new Chief Assistant in the office. “Paul Jancha, Jr. has been hired to be the chief assistant public defender,” he said. “He has been with the contract group and brings a lot of local experience. He’s giving up a successful private practice to join our office.”

Renna said his office will continue to work with private attorneys to handle situations where one of the office’s attorneys has a conflict or where there are co-defendants who have to be represented. “We need a relationship with private attorneys and Paul is in a position to help us expand that relationship,” he said.

All in all, Renna said it’s an exciting time to work in the indigent defense field and to be in Berrien County. “I can’t credit the county board enough,” he said. “There were a lot who were skeptical about it working but they had the vision to hire Carl Macpherson and now we’re a model around the state.”

“There’s a sense of pride in Berrien County that we are pioneers in doing something different,” he said. “It’s clearly a success story with the jail population declining. There are many reasons for that, but I do think our attorneys have played a part in keeping and getting people of jail and being strong advocates for our clients.”