Public or Indigent Defense Systems
“Each year, millions of Americans rely on public defenders to fulfill their Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Despite being the linchpin of the criminal justice system, public defense remains both underfunded and understudied. This Article provides empirical analysis to contribute to a critical question: How should public defender systems be structured? Criminal justice advocates, scholars,…
From the abstract: “This paper explores the inequitable treatment of the Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled and Autistic (IDD/A) population in the criminal justice system. Although progress has been made over the past century with understanding the unique needs of this population, they still face challenges at all stages of the criminal justice system. Behavioral, social…
From the introduction: “This Essay proceeds in three parts. Part I defines community responsive public defense. Embracing the theme of this colloquium, it situates community responsive defense within the context of increased public awareness of criminal injustice and collective action against mass incarceration. Part II surfaces the work of four public defender organizations that are…
Creates a case for holding states liable for abdicating their duty to ensure that all children have zealous representation.
From the introduction: “This analysis identifies various characteristics of the justice systems that contribute to defender resource disparity and presents solutions to move toward parity. It seeks to build upon and elevate the work of many others in the multi-decade effort to realize the right to counsel in this country — one of many necessary…
On March 13, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest in a lawsuit challenging the deprivation of children’s right to meaningful representation in the Cordele Judicial Circuit of Georgia. In upholding the constitutional necessity of youth defense specialization, the DOJ asserted, “The right to counsel means more than just a lawyer…
Report to Colorado General Assembly on the State of the Youth Defense System in Colorado pursuant to House Join Resolution 13-1019, whose purpose was to “examine and make recommendations on current laws, procedures and practices for the appointment of counsel, advisement of rights and waivers of counsel for children in juvenile delinquency court.” This report…
On August 14, 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest in a federal lawsuit challenging deprivations of the right to counsel on misdemeanor cases in two cities in Washington. In calling for an independent monitor, the DOJ asserted, “First, a public defender must have the authority to decline appointments over the…
On August 14, 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest in a federal class action lawsuit on the constructive denial of counsel in criminal proceedings within five counties in New York. The DOJ asserted, “The provision of defense services is a multifaceted and complicated task. To guide the defense function, the…
From the abstract: “Despite the promise of Gideon, providing “the guiding hand of counsel” to indigent defendants remains unmanageable, largely because the nation’s public defender offices are overworked and underfunded. Faced with overwhelming caseloads and inadequate resources, public defenders must engage in triage, deciding which cases deserve attention and which do not. Although scholars have…
From the introduction: “In this report, we present each of the Community Oriented Defense (COD) Ten Principles in the context of profiles of defender programs that are putting the various Principles into action. Those cited are but a few of the many defender programs incorporating the COD Ten Principles today and represent just some of…
The U.S. Supreme Court held that when mental health is a significant factor in an accused person’s defense, they must have the ability to hire an independent expert provided to the defense at the expense of the state if they cannot afford it. The Court reversed and remanded the holding of the Oklahoma Court of…
