Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice Court System
Phyllis K. Morris-Green, a graduate of U.C. Davis School of Law, was appointed Public Defender for San Bernardino County in 2012, after having served two years as the County’s Interim Public Defender. Leading an office staffed with approximately 245 employees, her department handles over 55,000 cases annually. Ms. Morris has served the Public Defender’s Office since 1984, representing clients on a range of cases that included serious and violent felonies at courthouses located in Redlands, Victorville, Barstow, Big Bear, Crest Forrest, Joshua Tree, and San Bernardino. She also served as a treatment court deputy for the defense in the Victorville Drug Court. In 1994, Ms. Morris was promoted to Supervising Deputy Public Defender, serving in the Desert region; and in 2002, she was promoted to a divisional manager, serving first in the Central Division (San Bernardino) and then in the Desert Division. In both 1994 and 2004, she received the County’s Public Service Recognition Award.