HD15 - Virginia's Public Defender Program and Alternative Indigent Defense Systems

  • Published: 1986
  • Author: General Assembly. Joint Subcommittee
  • Enabling Authority: House Joint Resolution 324 (Regular Session, 1985)

Executive Summary:
Following a comprehensive evaluation of the methods of providing indigent services and the financial impact of these methods, the joint subcommittees make the following recommendations:

1. That a fifth pilot public defender program be established in the city of Portsmouth to allow an evaluation of the cost and the impact of a public defender program in a core city which is experiencing severe availability problems with the court-appointed counsel system;

2. That the maximum fees allowed to court-appointed counsel for indigent persons be increased by 15% to alleviate the financial hardships placed on these attorneys and to encourage them to continue to make themselves available for court-appointed work (Appendix C);

3. That the statutes governing compensation to be paid to attorneys appointed by the court to represent juveniles in certain cases be clarified (Appendix C); and

4. That the joint subcommittee studying indigent defense systems be allowed to continue its study to evaluate the effects of implementation of its recommendations and to afford the members an opportunity to (i) address the particular problems faced by counsel appointed for indigent defendants charged with capital offenses and for juveniles, (ii) evaluate the need to develop uniform statewide eligibility standards for court-appointed counsel, (iii) determine the appropriate methods for selecting court-appointed counsel, and (iv) continue its review and evaluation of the administrative procedures of the public defender program (Appendix D).