Public Defenders Case Study

According to a 2013 study, between 60 and 90 percent of defendants require publicly-funded attorneys (Giovanni 6). Defenders across the nation today, though, face much resentment and animosity dating back to the Tough-on-Crime era when they were scapegoats for many societal issues simply because they were helping the accused. Unfortunately, if a defendant was in court, then he was assumed guilty by many—especially if he was black and poor—and this supposition continues to pervade opinions today. These reactions result in high pressure on politicians not to allocate money from state budgets to Public Defenders Offices. The animosity has also led to the subjugation of Public Defenders to harassment and even death threats, such as in one email which read "DIE SCUMBAG LAWYERS! DIE!" (Geragos 40). This perfect storm creates an astonishingly horrible system which "has left most defender offices with insufficient staff and resources to appropriately represent clients, resulting in a system that is out of balance" (Giovanni 4). In Miami, Public Defenders handle up to …show more content…
In fact, Public Defenders often pressure defendants into taking plea bargains simply for the speed at which they are required to turn over clientele. Because of the pressure to move through cases as expeditiously as possible, Public Defenders will recommend that defendants plead guilty to their charges to receive lighter punishments rather than fighting the charges in court, even if the defendant is innocent. Therefore, the purpose of a Public Defender—to provide counsel to those who cannot afford their own—is corrupted due to their disastrous situation and, therefore, undermines the effectiveness of Public Defenders, resulting in a disproportionately negative impact on