ABOUT CJI
CJI was founded in late 2018 by former Nashville Public Defender Dawn Deaner, whose perspective on justice was heavily influenced by her 21 years advocating on behalf of poor people in Nashville’s criminal legal system. After learning about restorative justice, and reflecting upon how routinely she witnessed injustice in the courtroom and beyond, Dawn was ready to work for justice in a new way – one that empowered people suffering injustice to pursue justice as they defined it.
At CJI, we believe justice exists when every person has equal freedom under the law to exercise the power of choice and self-determination in relationship with others, and when peace is maintained by a shared respect for the dignity of every person – regardless of their circumstances – and treating every person equitably.
The Choosing Justice Initiative exists to empower people without wealth to pursue and achieve the justice they seek in Nashville’s criminal legal system.
FOUNDER /
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DAWN DEANER
Dawn Deaner is the Founder and Executive Director of the Choosing Justice Initiative.
Before launching CJI in November 2018, Dawn spent 10 years as the Metropolitan Public Defender for Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee, and 11 years before that as an Assistant Public Defender in Nashville.
As Nashville’s Public Defender, Dawn was a tireless advocate for her clients and their right to high quality, effective legal representation. Beginning early in her tenure, she fostered a culture of client-centered representation in the Office, and encouraged staff to treat every client like they would want their family member treated.
In 2017, she formed the Office’s first Client/Community Advisory Board, and with input from that Board, the Office published formal representation standards. These standards outline all the essential components of ethical criminal defense representation, and make clear to clients, staff, and the entire Nashville community the kind of representation every person accused of a crime is entitled to receive.
Dawn also acknowledged the reality that public defenders have contributed to mass incarceration by not doing enough to insist that people without wealth have access to meaningful legal representation. As a result, she made a commitment to reduce excessive workloads in the Office until resources were sufficient to ensure every client received effective representation.
To do that, Dawn introduced rigorous time-tracking requirements for all staff, and in 2014 became the first Public Defender in Nashville to implement workload controls for the Office. She also became a vocal proponent for increasing public defense resources, and using diversion programs to reduce demand for services.
Dawn has also been a pioneer for larger reforms in the criminal legal system. She has fought to end Nashville’s use of wealth-based pre-trial detention, and was instrumental in the creation of the Nashville Community Bail Fund. She introduced community organizers in Nashville to the Participatory Defense movement, and continues to uplift their work empowering Nashvillians who are most impacted by the criminal legal system to get meaningful justice. Dawn was also the architect of Metro Nashville’s Steering Clear Driver’s License Diversion Program, which helps decriminalize poverty and reduce wasteful spending in our court system.
Dawn has been acknowledged locally and nationally for her work in and commitment to indigent defense. In 2011, she received the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year award from the Tennessee Bar Association, and in 2012, Gideon’s Promise recognized Dawn’s work to improve indigent defense in the South with its Stephen B. Bright Award.
In 2017, Dawn was the first woman to receive the Nashville Bar Association’s Jack Norman Sr. Award, which honors an attorney who demonstrates respect for the rights of all individuals in the criminal justice system. The following year, the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) presented her with its first Thurgood Marshall Award, and the Metro-Nashville Human Relations Commission honored her with an Outstanding Service Award.
In addition to running CJI, Dawn currently serves on the Executive and Steering Committees of the NAPD, and on the Board of Directors for Gideon’s Promise and Uptrust. She also continues in her role as Special Advisor to the Nashville Community Bail Fund. She is a member of the Tennessee Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers, and several other bar associations. She taught Trial Advocacy at Vanderbilt University Law School for 10 years; served for six years on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection; and is a member of the 2015 Leadership Nashville Class.
Dawn was born and raised in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, and moved to Nashville in 1996 to begin her legal career as an assistant public defender. She earned her undergraduate degree from Columbia College, and her law degree from George Washington University Law School.