PUBLIC DEFENDER CARLOS
J. MARTINEZ’S
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Carlos J.
Martinez, a native of Cuba, has dedicated his professional life to
public service, using his legal talents in service of the poor.
Arriving to Miami
from Cuba on a 1969 Freedom Flight with his mother, father, two
siblings and aunt, he learned the meaning of hard work and
determination at an early age. As a youngster, Carlos often helped
his dad, Celedonio, mop floors and clean the Little Havana church
where his father worked as a maintenance man and where his mother,
Yara, was the church’s receptionist.
At 16, Carlos
began working as a car wash attendant at an Exxon station. Within
three years, Carlos was simultaneously managing six gas stations in
Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Through this full-time employment,
Carlos was able to pay for his undergraduate college education. He
attended Miami-Dade College, the University of Texas-Austin and
graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in
Political Science in 1985. In 1990, Carlos received his J.D. from
the University of Miami. He worked in Miami Dade, Florida and
Bellingham, Washington as an assistant public defender, representing
indigent clients at the trial and appellate level, and in drug
court. Prior to being elected as Public Defender, Carlos was a top
administrator in the Public Defender’s office for 12 years. He lead
litigation efforts, designed and implemented management and legal
reforms, and drafted legislation and budget proposals.
Carlos created
numerous volunteer initiatives such as the “Redemption Project”
(helping ex-felons regain their civil and employment rights), “Play
It Smart” (teaching young people how to interact with law
enforcement), “Consequences Aren’t Minor” (educating
adolescents and adults about the direct and collateral consequences
of illegal behavior and arrest), the Equal Justice Roundtable (a
faith community collaboration to address social injustice and
improve public safety), a statewide public defender management
training program, and Juvenile Justice CPR (Charting a Path to
Redemption), a legal reform initiative designed to help troubled
kids achieve the American dream. This new effort follows
closely on the heels of his leadership of a statewide endeavor to
ban the indiscriminate shackling of detained children in juvenile
courts. He has worked tirelessly to address the crisis of minority
children being cycled from the school house to the jail house, and
in the effort to protect the confidentiality of juvenile records.
Carlos has a long
list of outstanding honors and achievements. In February, 2009,
Carlos received the FIU Distinguished Alumni Torch Award for the
College of Law. In April, 2009, Carlos was inducted into the
Miami-Dade College Alumni Hall of Fame. In 2006, the Florida Public
Defender Association (FPDA) awarded Carlos the Association’s
prestigious Craig Stewart Barnard Award for Outstanding Service.
Carlos also served two years as Vice President of the FPDA . Carlos
is a member of Iron Arrow, the highest honor bestowed by the
University of Miami. In addition, Carlos co-authored “The Best
Defense is No Offense: Preventing Crime Through Effective Public
Defense,” published in the New York University, Review of Law
and Social Change.
Carlos is an
active member of numerous civic groups and local, state and national
legal organizations, the American Bar Association Criminal Justice
Council, the National Institute of Corrections’ National Advisory
Committee on Evidence Based Decision Making for Local Criminal
Justice Systems, The Florida Blueprint Commission on Juvenile
Justice, and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Zero
Tolerance Task Force.
He was elected
public defender without opposition in August, 2008. Carlos is the
first Cuban-American Public Defender and the only elected Hispanic
Public Defender in the U.S. As Public Defender, Carlos manages an
office of approximately 360 employees, handling approximately
100,000 cases
each year.
Carlos credits his
parents and his religious upbringing for his passion for social
justice and for helping the poor. “I feel blessed to be an American
and to have the opportunity to do something I love. It’s gratifying
to work in an office where we can be proud of what we do every day
–helping people who are less fortunate and whose freedom is in
jeopardy. By being the Public Defender, helping the less-fortunate,
I’m honoring my mother and father’s values and the sacrifices they
made so that my family could live and prosper in a free country.”
Biographical Information Honors & Awards Memberships and Activities Publications
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