Partnering Opportunities
SEP is interested in forming partnerships with indigent defense agencies, academic and research institutions,
and non-profits to solicit grant and foundation funding to further the joint interests of the partner organization
and SEP. Contact Margaret Gressens at IDS if you would like to explore this option.
For More Information
For more detailed information on the SEP project, project products and updates, and relevant criminal justice
research articles, please visit the IDS website at www.ncids.org and click on the "Systems Eval. Project" link
located on the left side of the page.
SEP Staff
Margaret A. Gressens, IDS Research Director: Since 2001, Ms. Gressens has been the Research Director for
the Office of Indigent Defense Services. She has over 20 years of social and economic research, policy analysis,
and program evaluation experience. Ms. Gressens received her B.A. from Brown University, Providence, Rhode
Island and a M.P.A from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska. From 1996 to 2000, Ms. Gressens was a
Health Planner for the Municipality of Anchorage, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), where
she directed a project that measured the health and quality of life of the municipality. Ms. Gressens was
Assistant Director of the Real Security Education Project for the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC,
where she
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a research and education project on the impact of U.S. foreign policy on the U.S. and
the international economy. Ms. Gressens also has worked for the Institute for Social and Economic Research,
University of Alaska and for the Office of United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (NY), Washington DC.
Daryl V. Atkinson, Systems Evaluation Project Coordinator: Mr. Atkinson has been the Systems Evaluation
Project Coordinator since 2007. He received a B.A. in Political Science from Benedict College, Columbia, SC and
a J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis, MN. He is a member of both the Minnesota
and North Carolina Bars. Since moving to North Carolina in 2007, Mr. Atkinson has been active in both the
prisoner reentry and legal service communities. He was a presenter at the first North Carolina Reentry Action
Project Conference. In addition, Mr. Atkinson has led continuing legal education training sessions for criminal
defense attorneys on how to address the reentry issues of their clients.
North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services
1 23 West Main Street, 4th Floor
Durham, NC 27701
Tel: 919-560-3380
Fax: 919-560-3332
WWW.NCIDS.ORG
North Carolina
Office of Indigent Defense Services
NC Indigent Defense Services (IDS)
In August 2000, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Indigent Defense Services Act, creating the
Office of Indigent Defense Services (IDS) and charging it with overseeing the provision of legal representation to
indigent defendants in North Carolina. The cornerstone of IDS's mission is to ensure that poor people who are
charged with crimes have the same legal protections as everyone else. Our goals are to ensure that every client
is provided with an attorney who has the legal qualifications, training, and resources needed to be an effective
advocate and to manage the state's indigent defense fund in an efficient and equitable manner. North Carolina's
passage of the IDS Act makes it a national leader in the development of indigent defense programs.
