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.
“Conservatives’ willingness to cede to liberal groups the movement to remedy the plight of public defenders is, to say the least, perplexing. From individual rights philosophy to budgetary prudence, public safety to small government, the aims of conservatism and a vigorous defense of the Sixth Amendment nestle together like peas in a pod.“
Washington Examiner
January 30, 2019
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