October 2011
Dear Friends:
This year we mark a bittersweet anniversary – the Project’s 25th year providing legal assistance to death row prisoners. I have been fortunate to be here for ten of those years, and no one could be more proud of our staff, our volunteers, and our accomplishments. Together, we have made a difference that is worth celebrating. But it is also sobering and unfortunate that our help is still needed for so many desperate men and women on death row today.
It should not be so. But until there is acknowledgement that a zealous defense is as important to justice as a vigorous prosecution, the Project will need to exist. So long as state governments refuse to appoint competent lawyers, and public defenders labor under overwhelming caseloads with low pay and few resources, we will need volunteer lawyers. And so long as the administration of the death penalty remains flawed and broken, we will need courageous advocates to push for meaningful reforms.
We ask you to consider making a financial contribution to the Project. We promise to use your investment wisely – always for substantive, programmatic work that directly benefits death row prisoners.
Your generosity during the past twenty-five years has helped us make meaningful improvements in the quality and availability of counsel for death row prisoners. But there is still much more to do. We have so many ideas for enhancing our existing programs and implementing new approaches to make us even more effective in the years ahead. Our energy for this work and this cause has never been greater.
You have always been the biggest reason for our success. We hope you will continue to invest in the Project and in the work that benefits everyone who cares about justice.
With gratitude and best wishes,
Robin M. Maher
Director