Countywide : Bill Gains for Disclosing Funding of Defendants
The state Senate Judiciary Committee this week approved a bill by Sen. Edward R. Royce (R-Anaheim) that would let the public know what tax money is being spent to assist a criminal defendant.
Royce said current law keeps confidential the itemized disbursements made to indigent criminal defendants or their counsel.
The payments are usually for investigators, psychiatrists and others who aid the defense attorney.
“In some cases, millions of dollars are being spent to provide these services for the defendant,” Royce said, “yet the public is prevented from getting any information as to who is receiving the money or how much is actually being spent on a particular case.”
Royce cited a current Orange County case in which it appears that more than $2 million has been spent to assist the defense, let alone the public funds paid to the court-appointed defense attorneys.
Royce did not identify the case, but such a controversy has surrounded the Randy Kraft murder case.
Several newspapers around the state have gone to court in attempts to gain access to financial data in such cases.
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