New York City — Public Defenders — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Public Defenders

Defendants on the lower end of the socio-economic scale find themselves at the mercy of public defenders who are swamped with cases, understaffed, and underfunded. Research shows that even before mass incarceration accelerated in the 1980s, overburdened systems of indigent defense struggled to meet the 6th Amendment constitutional mandate. Public defenders usually have the deck stacked against them due to discovery laws favoring prosecutors and lack of sufficient resources.

Low Pay for Public Defenders and Prosecutors Seen as Threat to Justice

“According to a report compiled for the Council’s Committee on the Justice System, the body that presided over the hearing, an attorney with three years of experience or more can be hired by the Administrative Trial Unit at the Department of Education with an annual salary of $85,000. A job for someone with the same experience at Legal Aid or the Manhattan DA would pay $20,200 and $16,000 less, respectively. Those disparities only increase as lawyers gain experience.“

City Limits

October 29, 2018

Lack of FundingPhillip ReevesOctober 29, 2018City Limits, New York CityComment

Public Defenders

Galsworthy CJR Program

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