VISTA in the News in Texas

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Release Date: 
Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Check us out! In their October 2018 white paper on Texas Mental Health Defender Programs the Texas Indigent Defense Commission featured one of our pilot year sites and our VISTA, Yamilex Peña, who is serving with them!

This publication focuses on the role of indigent defense at the intersection of mental health and criminal justice. It looks at how Texas addresses mental health and indigent defense, explores the benefits of mental health defender programs, and examines several mental health defender programs. Our VISTA site, Lubbock Private Defenders Office (LPDO), was featured for its mental health caseworker services. Yamilex was featured for her involvement in building capacity at LPDO and developing a stronger network of community partners in Lubbock. To read the publication and see just how important this work is to communties in Texas and across the country, click here

LPDO was also recently the subject of a fantastic article in the Lubbock Avalanche Journal about their efforts to build capacity and resources in innovative ways, including Defending Communities in Service-VISTA! We couldn't be prouder of the great work they're doing and the ways that they're making sure that the community is hearing about our program.