The state's ailing public defender system will be addressed in an emergency meeting later this morning. The gathering of the system's board comes only weeks after it staged an open revolt against Governor Sonny Perdue call to cut state agency budgets. At the time, the board said 'no' to approval of a plan to slash staff and money for training. Georgia's statewide legal system has already been in financial crisis--the past three years budgets have been cut by seven million dollars.
Showing posts with label indigent defense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indigent defense. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Indigent defense gets new backing
Today human rights groups urged state leaders to pony up more money for Georgia's indigent defense system. The system has faced funding problems, job cuts and a cash drain due to the death penalty case of accused courthouse gunman Brian Nichols. Nichols defense has already cost nearly $2 million. Indigent defenders, whose primary source of funding is criminal and civil fines and court fees, say they need more money to meet obligations to poor defendants across the state.
(V. Edwards)
Rev. R.L. White, (c), Exec. Dir., Atlanta Chapter NAACP,
flanked by members of the civil rights community
protest lack of funding for state's indigent defense fund.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Lawyers, lawmakers disagree on funding death-penalty defense
When the director of the state agency that defends poor people in death-penalty cases stepped down last week, he said budget cuts were compromising lawyers' ability to help their clients.
The budget "is grossly inadequate to allow us to satisfy our statutory and constitutional mandates," Chris Adams wrote in a letter to the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that doesn't necessarily make it fact," said Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) in response. "I understand when people have tough jobs to do and have to find creative ways to do their jobs that pressure gets to them, and apparently the pressure got to him."
Seabaugh is chairing a committee that is rethinking Georgia's system of defending poor people accused of crimes. Members held their first hearing last week. They voiced concerns that Georgia is spending too much money on public defense. Although he will not name names, Seabaugh says some individuals are trying to make defending people in capitol cases look extremely expensive because they oppose the death penalty.
Georgia Capital Defenders received $4.3 million this year, which is less than half the money the agency had requested. A big chunk of the funds are being spent on the defense of Brian Nichols, who is accused of a killing spree at the Fulton County Courthouse.
Even without the record-breaking costs of the Nichols case, however, officials say there would still be a money crunch. State defenders are representing 79 other people in death-penalty cases too.
"We intend to do everything we can to do the job we've been asked to do in term of capital defense representation with the money we have," says Wilson DuBose, who chairs the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council. "We do intend to ask for more money in the future."
But state law restricts the amount of money the agency can request. DuBose says it will ask for an increase of $190,000. He hopes to increase communication with lawmakers so that they will have a better understanding of the work public defenders do. DuBose believes they will listen.
"If we can provide information to substantiate our needs, I believe they will respond," he says.
The budget "is grossly inadequate to allow us to satisfy our statutory and constitutional mandates," Chris Adams wrote in a letter to the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that doesn't necessarily make it fact," said Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) in response. "I understand when people have tough jobs to do and have to find creative ways to do their jobs that pressure gets to them, and apparently the pressure got to him."
Seabaugh is chairing a committee that is rethinking Georgia's system of defending poor people accused of crimes. Members held their first hearing last week. They voiced concerns that Georgia is spending too much money on public defense. Although he will not name names, Seabaugh says some individuals are trying to make defending people in capitol cases look extremely expensive because they oppose the death penalty.
Georgia Capital Defenders received $4.3 million this year, which is less than half the money the agency had requested. A big chunk of the funds are being spent on the defense of Brian Nichols, who is accused of a killing spree at the Fulton County Courthouse.
Even without the record-breaking costs of the Nichols case, however, officials say there would still be a money crunch. State defenders are representing 79 other people in death-penalty cases too.
"We intend to do everything we can to do the job we've been asked to do in term of capital defense representation with the money we have," says Wilson DuBose, who chairs the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council. "We do intend to ask for more money in the future."
But state law restricts the amount of money the agency can request. DuBose says it will ask for an increase of $190,000. He hopes to increase communication with lawmakers so that they will have a better understanding of the work public defenders do. DuBose believes they will listen.
"If we can provide information to substantiate our needs, I believe they will respond," he says.
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