“We warehouse people in cages, mostly for non-violent offenses. And when they come out, many of them won’t be able to find housing, jobs, they won’t be able to vote, they won’t be able to get educational loans. We destroy lives…we couldn’t do that if we saw people as human.”

 Jonathan Rapping, Gideon’s Promise, President/Founder

 

“My introduction to the criminal legal system was when I was five years old, being a kid of an incarcerated parent and having to be raised through the walls of a prison. My reality left me to distrust the very system meant to protect me and the people I love.” 

Ilham Askia, Gideon’s Promise, Executive Director

In the criminal legal system, public defenders play a crucial role for clients in need of legal representation. Public defenders are court-appointed lawyers for people who otherwise can't afford a trial lawyer. It's incredibly important work, but it's not without challenges, such as high caseloads and systemic bias against clients, generally from marginalized communities already disadvantaged by inequality, who cannot afford to hire a lawyer of their choosing. In the United States, over 80% of people accused of a felony qualify for a public defender. In 2006, 1.1 million people were convicted of a felony; statistically, as many as 880,000 of those people qualified for a public defender. 

Learn more about Gideon's Promise and their work.  This New York Times article shines a light on some of the serious issues public defenders and their clients face.

REFERENCE VIDEOS:

Watch Jonathan's Ted Talk about the importance of the work Gideon's Promise is doing. 

And the trailer for the documentary Gideon's Army.

 

These episodes of tv, while fictional, touched on the absolute need for qualified, compassionate, and courageous public defenders:

• Scandal, Season 7, Episode 12
• Law & Order: SVU, Season 14, Episode 13

As important as public defenders are, most people don't understand how important they are, let alone how much impact they have on the lives of their clients and clients' families. A shocking majority of Americans funneled into the criminal legal system, largely from marginalized communities, are unable to afford a lawyer of their choosing, and need to rely on a public defender to fight for their rights or freedom; in return, public defenders are frequently overloaded, handling more cases – more people – than they have time for. For both public defenders and their clients, it's often like having the cards stacked against you before you even enter the game.

Gideon's Promise believes we can – and should – do better. Gideon's Promise is a non-profit organization on a mission to transform public defense and ensure equal justice for all by empowering public defenders nationwide through mentorship, training, and community-focused values, across all levels of their careers. Especially as America grapples with the inherent inequities of our criminal legal system, public defenders need to be seen as a powerful force for change from within, ultimately serving as the conscience of our criminal justice system. And to do that, we need your help to get people to understand the very real issues public defenders and their clients face every single day, and inspire them to fight for a better criminal legal system for all.

We're looking for the Tongal community to propose concepts for an inspiring :60 video that creates awareness around the importance of public defenders and the critical work Gideon's Promise is doing to help public defenders help their clients. Your concepts should focus on the work public defenders do for their clients with the goal of forming a connection with apathetic viewers who may not otherwise see the need for better support and mentorship for public defenders.

 

EXPOSURE: Broadcast, Gideon's Promise social platforms, direct share with potential donors and sponsors.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE: Audiences that may not have considered the critical role of public defenders previously; within that, potential donors and sponsors.

 

TONE: Informative, educational, empathetic, passionate, inspiring, heartfelt; not sappy or sympathetic. 

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Think of what works for creating awareness and disseminating information broadly; motion graphics, kinetic text, stock footage, 2D/3D animation, etc are all on the table.
• Create awareness of both the challenges facing public defenders in our current criminal legal system, as well as the impact public defenders can make when they are properly supported.
• Humanize both public defenders and the clients they represent.
• Foster a new understanding of public defenders and their work.
• While the video should be informative, it should also be inspirational, heartfelt, and inspire passion; viewers should take away the understanding that the criminal legal system not only should, but can be better.
• Concepts should incorporate or build off of the Gideon's Promise tagline: Strengthening Public Defenders. Transforming Public Defense.
• The quotes in the Background section can be taken into account for messaging guidance.
• Gideon's Promise also considers the following to be mandatory/preferred language, and words/language to avoid: 
  • Mandatory/Preferred: 
    • Dignity, Humane/Humanity, The Client/The Accused, Criminal Legal System, New/Next Generation, Economically Disadvantaged
  • Avoid: 
    • The Defendant, Training Program, Criminal Justice System, Poor, Indigent

 

Tell us your Concept in 250 characters or fewer. Remember, a concept is not a detailed script - it is a spark of inspiration or distillation of what will happen in the video. As always, concepts should be clever and engaging.

1. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.
   
   
2. BY SUBMITTING AN ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES – SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.
   
   
3. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
4. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
5. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.
    
6. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
    
7. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
   
   
8. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
   
   
9. Winners must submit the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment.
   
   
10. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.