Awards & Acknowledgements

1965
Oliver Wendell Holmes Award, presented by the American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area, for providing quality legal representation to poor people in the District of Columbia.

1974
Designated as an exemplary project and model by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration of the U.S. Department of Justice.

2002
Recognized by the National Association of Sentencing Advocates for outstanding efforts to improve advocacy nationwide.

2003
Awarded the Servant of Justice Award by the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia for faithful dedication and remarkable achievement in ensuring all citizens have equal and meaningful access to justice in the District of Columbia.

2008
PDS was highlighted as a “beacon of hope” in the National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s report, “PDS: A Model of Client-Centered Representation.”

2010
Awarded the 14th Annual Frederick Douglass Award by the Southern Center for Human Rights for fifty years of service and demonstration.

2011
Honored by the Foundation for Criminal Justice with the Guardian of Liberty Award.

Acknowledged by Former U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. as “the best public defender’s office in the country” during his forum at Harvard School of Public Health, “Defending Childhood and Youth: An Approach to Ending the Cycle of Violence.”

2021
Honored by the Washington Lawyers' Committee with the Alfred McKenzie The award recognizes the work PDS and others have done as members of the Compassionate Release Clearinghouse, a group formed to receive and manage the many requests for legal assistance submitted by those who want to exercise their rights under the local and federal compassionate release statutes.