A law professor who is teaching Maryland’s public defenders to better serve their poor clients amid “crushing” caseloads is among the winners of this year’s MacArthur Foundation “genius” grants.
As founder of the Atlanta-based organization Gideon’s Promise, Jonathan Rapping works to train public defenders and help reform what he considers civil rights abuses in the criminal justice system. He arrived in Baltimore in May for a year-long stint at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, his first attempt at changing a statewide system.