UC researchers fight for a better criminal defense system
Janet Moore, Professor of Law at UC College of Law, has spent her career fighting to improve the criminal defense system in the United States. Concerns about what she felt was the “low bar set for public defense performance and how little power indigent defendants had to push that bar higher” led Moore to research and publish her first study, which examined clients’ perceptions of their public defenders. Using quantitative and qualitative data from clients in Hamilton County, it was one of the first studies to ask un-incarcerated clients about their experiences.
Despite a majority of clients being satisfied, troubling themes surfaced concerning public defenders’ performance. And Moore wanted to know more. This quest led to a follow-up study, the results of which were published this summer in the first peer-reviewed journal to focus a symposium issue on empirical research in public defense.
Moore and research colleagues Jacinda K. Dariotis and Vicki L. Plano Clark published their scholarly article “Attorney-client communication in public defense: A qualitative examination” in a special issue of Criminal Justice Policy Review; it was one of seven papers included. In addition, Moore guest-edited the edition.
The group was able to complete their work with the help of a $25K University of Cincinnati interdisciplinary grant.
Read more about what they learned and their hopes for how these findings could reform the criminal justice system.
Photo credit: istockphoto.com
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.
Why the need for public schools
November 10, 2025
UC Law professor Joseph Tomain argues for continued government support for public schools in the online publication, The Conversation.