Task Force Publications
- An Evaluation of the Bexar and Hidalgo Public Defender Offices (May 27, 2009)
- FY 2008 Annual and Expenditure Report of the Task Force on Indigent Defense [pdf]
- Video downloads of presentations from 6th Annual Indigent Defense Workshop, October 23, 2008 and Workshop course book and Power Points
- Preliminary Findings from recent survey: Judicial Perspectives on Substance Abuse & Mental Health Diversionary Programs and Treatment [pdf] (October 24, 2008)
- 6th Annual Indigent Defense Workshop course book and presentations
- Presentation for Texas Association of Counties Annual Conference: Indigent Defense: Issues on the Horizon [ppt] (August 28, 2008)
- Review of Dallas County Public Defender: Appellate Division and Caseload Standards (July 2008)
- Blueprint on Creating a Public Defender Office in Texas (Second Edition, June 2008) and Press Release
- FY2007 Annual Report and Expenditure Report of the Task Force on Indigent Defense
- Overview of Indigent Defense - 12/5/07 PowerPoint presentation by Task Force Staff to County Judges and Commissioners, Uvalde
- Key Provisions of the Fair Defense Act (December 2007, revised October 2008, revised August 2009)
- Materials from the Annual Indigent Defense Workshop held October 18-19, 2007
- Fair Defense Laws-Codified (August 2008)
- Waiver of Counsel. The 2007 Legislature promulgated procedures for obtaining waivers of the right to counsel from defendants in HB 1178. It also imposed limits on when prosecutors may speak with unrepresented defendants and when judges may direct such defendants to speak with prosecutors. Under the law a judge or magistrate may not order a defendant rearrested or require another, higher bond because a defendant withdraws a waiver of counsel or requests the assistance of counsel. An overview of the changes and flowcharts depicting the steps in the process are available.
- New study: The Costs and Benefits of an Indigent Defendant Verification Study (July 2007); also, Supplement to the Verification Study (November 2007) and Indigent Determination Form (sample form in Excel) and 2009 federal poverty guidelines issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services--Many jurisdictions use these to determine eligibility for services, such as appointed counsel in criminal cases
- Indigent Defense in the Texas Juvenile Justice System - A Joint Report by the Task Force on Indigent Defense and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (June 2007)
- Most recent presentation (given 4/24/07 at TDCAA presentation): Direct Electronic Filing in Criminal Cases: Closing the Paper Trap
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Second Interim Report: An
Evaluation the of Bexar and
- Presentation: Orientation for New Judges, Lubbock, January 23, 2007
- FY2006 Annual Report and Expenditure Report January 18, 2007
- Evidence for the Feasibility of Public Defender Offices in Texas [PDF] November 9, 2006
- Evaluating the Impact of Integrated Electronic Systems in Criminal Case Filings: Closing the Paper Trap and Executive Summary [PDF] July 12, 2006, Press Release and Resolution
- An Analysis of the Newly Established Bexar and Hidalgo Public Defender Offices [PDF] May 11, 2006
- Review of Tarrant County Indigent Defense System [PDF] March 10, 2006
- The Val Verde County Regional Public Defenders Office [pdf] May 2, 2006
- A Strategic Plan for improving Texas indigent defense criminal justice systems 2005-2010[PDF] November 2005
- Study to Assess the Impacts of the Fair Defense Act on Texas Counties (January 2005) [PDF] with Summary Report [PowerPoint]
- Report on Dallas County's Indigent Defense System and Public Defender Office [PDF] August 20, 2004; also read the Resolution [PDF]
- Blueprint for Creating a Public Defender Office in Texas [PDF], andJune 25, 2004 Press Release; a valuable tool for Texas local and state officials who seek a deeper understanding of what a "public defender" is and whether creating one makes sense.
- Review of Wichita County's Indigent Defense System--Findings and Recommendations [pdf] Final Report dated February 2004 Prepared by The Spangenberg Group
- e-Newsletters
- Annual Reports [pdf] of the Task Force
- Contract Defender Rules with Commentary and Sample Fee Vouchers New rules effective January 1, 2007
- Court Structure of Texas
Other outside reports and publications
- American Council of Chief Defenders meeting in Washington, D.C, June 24, 2009: link to Attorney General Eric Holder’s remarks at that gathering.
- On April 14, 2009, the Constitution Project’s National Right to Counsel Committee released its much-anticipated report, Justice Denied: America’s Continuing Neglect of our Constitutional Right to Counsel. The report details the endemic and systemic challenges of the indigent defense system and recommends twenty-two specific reforms. The full report and other relevant materials are available online here. Also, links to Quick Facts and the 22 recommendations.
- Toward Gideon’s Orchestra: The Fair Defense Act, Rothgery and Their Application in Tarrant County Presented to the Mexican American Bar Association March 26, 2009, Fort Worth, by Don Hase
- Texas Criminal Justice Integrity Unit (TCJIU) 2008 Report (February 23, 2009) - This report covers TCJIU activities for June 2008 through January 2009.
- 2009 federal poverty guidelines issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services--Many jurisdictions use these to determine eligibility for services, such as appointed counsel in criminal cases
- Video of University of Houston Indigent Defense Symposium: Achieving Quality in Indigent Defense–Proposals, Prototypes, and Policymaking (September 5, 2008)
- Eligible for Justice: Guidelines for Appointing Defense Counsel, The Brennan Center, September 2008 - The study recommends a set of practical guidelines to help states and counties with the task of determining eligibility. It is a quick read and provides practical guidance and insight into the process of determining eligibility for court appointed counsel. Click here to download a copy of the Full Report, or here for the publication's homepage.
- Link to MyFoxAustin.com website regarding a recent news report (8/4/07)related to the Travis County Mental Health Public Defender Office (Task Force FY07 Discretionary Grant)
- Link to MyFoxAustin.com website regarding a recent news report (7/7/07)related to Task Force study: Evaluating the Impact of Integrated Electronic Systems in Criminal Case Filings: Closing the Paper Trap (7-12-06)
- Giving Timbre to Gideon's Trumpet: Evaluating the Administration and Effectiveness of Legal Representation for Texas' Indigent Criminal Defendants by Michael K. Moore and Allan K. Butcher, May 2007 and Executive Summary
- Public Defenders Make Their Case written by Maria Sprow, Texas Association of Counties COUNTY magazine copyright, March/April 2007
- ABA’s opinion issued in May (#06-441) concerning the ethical obligations of lawyers who represent indigent criminal defendants
- "Re-Entry and Reintegration: The Road to Public Safety" Report and Recommendations of the New York State Bar Association Special Committee on Collateral Consequences of Criminal Proceedings
- LegalFront (Spring 2006 Volume 6 No. 1) article: Texas RioGrande Legal Aid Opens First Regional Public Defender Office in Texas and Indigent Defense Grants Awarded
- Texas Bar Journal article written by James D. Bethke, Director: Rich or Poor: The Right to a Fair Trial Requires a Good Lawyer
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Ensuring a Reliable and Effective Criminal Justice System
Report on a workshop for teams from eight states by Barry Mahoney, July 2005, The Justice Management Institute -
Comptroller Local Government Management Review re Jefferson County (April 2005)
report on indigent defense expenditures in Jefferson County - to see the report on indigent defense, scroll down approximately half way, past the road and bridge expenditure report -
Municipal Court Reporter article (three part series -- Part One
Two Three): The Fair Defense Act: Whose Job Is It Anyway?
By: James D. Bethke, Director, Task Force on Indigent Defense, Dottie Carmichael, Ph.D., Public Policy Research Institute -
The Challenge: Evaluating Indigent Defense Conference Report
The North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services (IDS) report from the one-day conference, The Challenge: Evaluating Indigent Defense, held on March 18, 2005, in Chapel Hill. The national conference provided an opportunity for indigent defense practitioners and criminal justice social scientists from around the country to discuss strategies and approaches for evaluating indigent defense. The conference report contains a summary of the conference proceedings as well as in-depth information about the IDS Systems Evaluation Project. - Texas County Progress April 2005 Texas Fair Defense Act: State, Counties, Address Increased Costs of Indigent Defense Services
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Examining the Impact of Criminal Defense Reform in Texas: Has the Fair Defense Been Effective?
Michael K. Moore, Allan K. Butcher, Catherine Greene Burnett (March 2005) - LegalFront (Winter 2005 Volume 6 No. 1) article: Task Force on Indigent Defense Funds Creation of Public Defender Offices
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Access to Counsel, (NCJ 204063) June 2004, OJJDP Juvenile Justice Practice Series, Bulletin, 34 pages,
Jones, J.B., Examines access to legal counsel in the juvenile justice system - What Juvenile Boards Must Do to Implement Senate Bill 7 - Prepared by: Robert O. Dawson [ PDF | WORD ]
- The Fair Defense Report: Findings and Recommendations on Indigent Defense Practices in Texas By Texas Appleseed Fair Defense Project, December 2000
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)
- What Policymakers Need to Know To Improve Public Defense Systems By Tony Fabelo, Public Defense Paper for the Executive Session on Public Defense, December 2001
- Comptroller's Review of El Paso Public Defender savings
- House Research Organization report on the Fair Defense Act, October 16, 2002
- AG Opinion JC-0549 regarding the constitutionality of SB7
- National Center for State Courts: Indigent Defense in Federal and State Courts List of links of county, state, federal public defender offices
- Sample Standards
- Other States
- 2001: Judicial Section Annual Conference Indigent Defense course materials
- 2001: Judicial Section Annual Conference Indigent Defense course materials
- Criminal Defense--County Expenditure Survey 1999
- Photos of Clarence Gideon's Petition (handwritten) to the U.S. Supreme Court
More
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Updated: 26-August-2009
