Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s Trip to Florida

Yesterday, Deputy Attorney General (Deputy AG) Lisa Monaco traveled to Florida to highlight the Department of Justice’s wide-ranging efforts to pursue equal justice under the rule of law, including by combatting corporate crime and by ensuring the right to counsel for all criminal defendants.

The Deputy AG delivered the annual E. Lawrence Barcella Jr. Memorial Address at the American Bar Association's 38th Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime. In her speech, she discussed the progress the Justice Department has made in implementing the corporate criminal enforcement policy changes that she directed last September. She also announced the Justice Department’s first-ever pilot program on compensation incentives and clawbacks, to align executives and all employees’ financial incentives with corporate compliance. 

The Deputy AG also announced that the Justice Department will be surging resources to respond to the increasing intersection of corporate crime and national security threats by adding over 25 new prosecutors to investigate and prosecute these violations. You can read her full remarks here.

While in Miami, the Deputy Attorney General and the department’s Director of the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ), Rachel Rossi, as well as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, met with leaders of the federal and state public defenders offices and indigent defense advocates to launch the Justice Department’s cross-country National Public Defense Day Tour in honor of the 60^th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, guaranteeing the right to counsel to anyone accused of a crime. The meeting in Miami kicked off ATJ’s “six stops for the Sixth Amendment” to elevate the importance of and appreciation for public defense services.  

In highlighting the significance of launching this tour in Florida, the Deputy AG recalled her experience working for Attorney General Janet Reno, a former Miami-Dade State Attorney, who as Attorney General convened a historic National Symposium on Indigent Defense in 1998 on the 36th anniversary of Gideon to highlight the role of the Justice Department in strengthening indigent defense services. To carry that commitment forward, the  Deputy Attorney General announced the launch of a comprehensive, 100-day review of current practices and policies to improve access to counsel at BOP pretrial facilities.

On her trip, the Deputy AG visited the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, where she met with U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe and his leadership team, as well as the prosecutors and professional staff of the office. She thanked them for their hard work and dedication. She also met with state, local and federal law enforcement leaders to emphasize the importance of the ongoing partnerships in tackling violent crime and other public safety challenges.

Finally, the Deputy AG visited Federal Correctional Institute Miami to meet the Warden and staff, review their operations, and ensure implementation of BOP’s dual mission of providing safe, humane custody while also preparing individuals for a return to society.