Thursday, October 29, 2009

Public defender's office


Perhaps a possible solution as well, particularly for smaller rural counties, would be to form a multiple county public defenders office.

Particularly since the District Court jurisdiction is multiple county as well. This way the costs can be shared across several counties.


Kerr County examines creating a public defender office
By Zeke MacCormack - Express-News

KERRVILLE — A spike in the local inmate population, combined with the high cost of court-appointed defense attorneys, has Kerr County commissioners considering the establishment of a public defender office.

The jail count had dipped to 96 inmates, a 15-year low, due to a special court docket initiated this spring that allows suspects to resolve their cases through plea deals offered soon after their arrest.

But 152 people were detained at the 192-bed lock-up Monday, which County Commissioner Buster Baldwin called “alarming” because the county may need to spend millions to expand the jail if the population isn't kept in check.

The rest of the story: