At Texas Fair Defense Project, we believe poverty shouldn't be a crime. That's why we fight every day to end policies and practices that unfairly penalize people simply because they lack the resources to successfully navigate a hostile criminal legal system.

In this work, we are proud to partner with our clients to change the systems that have harmed themselves and their families. This year, we worked with clients to advocate in the Texas Legislature to end the “Driver Responsibility Program,” which levied billions of dollars in surcharges on low-income Texans and suspended driver’s licenses when they could not pay them. We also worked with directly-impacted people to bring the first adult public defender office to Austin/Travis County along with more than $20 million in state grant funding. And we were co-counsel on a landmark settlement in Harris County, which is dramatically changing the county’s pretrial system so that people are not locked up simply because they cannot pay cash bail.

Every day, we’re improving public defense, reforming bail practices, and changing laws that unfairly punish people for their poverty.

In 2020, we will be expanding our programs and geographic reach across Texas, but we need your financial help at this critical time. A $100 donation will pay for a clinic attendee; $300 will sponsor individual representation by a TFDP attorney.  Please join us in the fight to end the criminalization of poverty in Texas.