Melanie Bates

“Mere access to the courthouse doors does not by itself assure a proper functioning of the adversary process.” 
— Thurgood Marshall

Hi, my name is Melanie Bates. I have a passion for criminal justice reform. I believe it is incumbent upon our society to ensure that every person, regardless of socioeconomic status, has access to quality legal representation. Poverty, lack of education, and other social issues should not feed the pipeline to prison. Through consistent advocacy, I desire to alleviate the factors that force many people to become a part of the criminal justice system. Thanks for visiting my site.