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.
"For the first time in over 20 years, the Tennessee Supreme Court has ordered an increase in the amount paid to lawyers representing indigent parties in criminal and child welfare cases. This rate increase, a 25 percent hike in the hourly rate paid to lawyers for out-of-court work, was funded by a $9.7 million appropriation by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Bill Haslam. "
The Chattanoogan
July 2, 2018
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