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Pa. doesn't fund public defense, Shapiro's budget would change that
(link) https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2023/04/pa-public-defense-gov-shapiro/
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania could shed its reputation as the only state in the country that does not fund public defense, if the legislature approves a proposal in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget.
In his first budget as governor, Shapiro, a Democrat, has proposed $10 million of state money to support no-cost legal representation to “indigent” Pennsylvanians, those who have been accused of a crime but cannot afford an attorney.
The $10 million proposal would be the most funding the state has ever dedicated to supporting the constitutional right to counsel, an obligation individual counties currently pay for entirely on their own. Legislators and legal experts have criticized this model for decades because it creates an unequal system where the quality of defense a person receives depends on the county where they live.
But even if the legislature approves Shapiro’s proposal as part of this year’s budget, the infusion would still leave Pennsylvania “isolated” in a country where most states take on at least 85% of all public defense costs, said David Carroll, executive director of the Sixth Amendment Center, which advocates for expanding access to indigent defense.
In his first budget as governor, Shapiro, a Democrat, has proposed $10 million of state money to support no-cost legal representation to “indigent” Pennsylvanians, those who have been accused of a crime but cannot afford an attorney.
The $10 million proposal would be the most funding the state has ever dedicated to supporting the constitutional right to counsel, an obligation individual counties currently pay for entirely on their own. Legislators and legal experts have criticized this model for decades because it creates an unequal system where the quality of defense a person receives depends on the county where they live.
But even if the legislature approves Shapiro’s proposal as part of this year’s budget, the infusion would still leave Pennsylvania “isolated” in a country where most states take on at least 85% of all public defense costs, said David Carroll, executive director of the Sixth Amendment Center, which advocates for expanding access to indigent defense.
- more at link -
It's a start, but we still have a long way to catch up to the other states on public defense.
