FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	AG

TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1998                                                                                                                          (202) 616-2777

                                                                                                                                                                               TDD (202) 514-1888







STATEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO


ON THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF GIDEON v. WAINWRIGHT








	WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Wednesday, March 18, marks the 35th
anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Gideon v.
Wainwright. The case established that every person has a
constitutional right to a criminal defense lawyer in all felony
cases, whether they occur in federal or state court.  

	Attorney General Janet Reno issued the following statement:




"Criminal defendants, on their own, can choose to defend
themselves in a court of law.  But no one should not have to do
so simply because they are poor.




"Thirty five years ago the Supreme Court agreed.  It said, 'any
person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot
be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him ...
[t]his seems to be an obvious truth.'   




"All of us benefit when a defendant who cannot afford a lawyer is
appointed one by the court.  It helps guarantee that any outcome--be 
 it guilt or innocence--is just and definitive.  	




"The right to counsel is a bedrock constitutional rule that
implicates the fundamental fairness and accuracy of every
criminal proceeding. 




"No criminal justice system is perfect and any system, including
ours, occasionally finds the wrong person arrested.  When that
happens, the right to counsel is our best protection against a
nightmarish transgression of justice. 




"Since the Gideon case, our nation has invested significant
resources making sure its promise is fulfilled.  And the overall
state of representation for indigent defendants has improved
immeasurably in the 35 years since Gideon.  But, on occasion, we
still hear of substandard representation in criminal cases. 
Perhaps it is due to insufficient resources.  Perhaps it is due
to a system within a state that does not adequately provide
representation.  Indeed, we have far to go to ensure all
defendants receive quality representation and that justice is
administered fairly.




"First, we need to better grasp the scope of the problem.  That
is why the Justice Department, for the first time in more than 10
years, has begun to document the state of indigent defense
services at the state and local levels.  I have also maintained
an open dialogue with judges, state and federal prosecutors and
defense attorneys alike, to better understand the scope of the
problem.




"Second, we need to continually focus on the issue and stress the
importance of Gideon.  That is why I urge every state to take
this occasion to review their indigent legal defense services and
recommit themselves to the promise of Gideon. 




"Third, we need to share ideas as to how we can best use our
available resources to provide for indigent counsel and address
the inadequacies in the system.  That is why I will be working
with all interested parties to discuss where we need to go from 

here in fulfilling the promise of Gideon.




"The Gideon decision beckons us all to work to ensure that our
justice system fully provides, in both fact and spirit, liberty
and justice to all, rich and poor alike."




# # #





97-122