Pretrial Justice Institute — 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.

Early Representation = Limiting Detention

“The importance of early counsel has been demonstrated repeatedly. Studies shows that people who receive legal representation at bail hearings spend less time in jail, are more likely to be released on recognizance, and when money bond is set, to have lower amounts. Researchers have attributed these outcomes to both the attorneys’ enhanced ability to argue for release as well as their ability to act as liaisons to pretrial services and release programs.“

Pretrial Justice Institute

September 5, 2018

Public DefendersPhillip ReevesSeptember 5, 2018Pretrial Justice InstituteComment

Public Defenders

Galsworthy CJR Program

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