Panel to Weigh Issue of Lawyers for Indigent

A panel of judges, attorneys and county officials will tackle the question of whether more private attorneys should be allowed to provide court representation for indigent prisoners, rather than just the public defender’s office.

The question was pushed by the county grand jury, which examined the cost of indigent defense with public attorneys versus the costs when private attorneys were hired because of conflicts. Such conflicts exist when, for example, there are multiple defendants also represented by public attorneys.

The county executive office strongly backed the grand jury’s recommendation to keep as many cases as possible within the public defender’s office. But Superior Court Judge David O. Carter pleaded with supervisors to expand the number of attorneys to take cases by allowing outside firms to contract for the work.