A new commission made up of legislators, public defenders, academics, and advocates is seeking to reform California’s public defense system, which has been criticized for being underfunded and lacking minimum standards. The California Independent Commission on Public Defense includes three assembly members and two senators, as well as chief public defenders from several counties, retired judges, and the heads of organizations representing thousands of defense attorneys in the state.

Background

The commission’s goal is to develop a five-year plan to phase in state funding and establish enforceable standards, such as caseload limits and access to defense investigators. This comes after a CalMatters investigation found that many California counties do not employ a single defense investigator, and lawyers in some rural counties are handling caseloads that far exceed even the most permissive standards.

The state has resisted stepping in, and a proposed bill that would have created an official state commission to address the issue was abandoned. However, two advocacy groups, the Wren Collective and UC Berkeley’s Criminal Law and Justice Center, decided to form an independent commission to develop and act on reforms.

Commission’s Work

The commission is scheduled to hold its first in-person meeting in Berkeley in October, with additional meetings planned for Los Angeles, the Central Valley, and Northern California over the next 12 months. Commissioners will work in subcommittees to develop a concrete fiscal plan for the state, draft legislative language, and establish minimum standards for how counties should structure their public defender offices, compensate their attorneys, provide access to experts, and report on their work.

Any recommendations made by the commission would need to be approved by the Legislature. The commission’s work can serve as a catalyst for political actors to improve indigent defense delivery or as fodder for lawsuits that can push the judiciary to act.

Original reporting: Shasta Scout (Redding) — read the source article.