Citing Workload, More Public Defenders Are Refusing New Cases

Citing Workload, Public Lawyers Reject New Cases, N.Y. Times, Nov. 9, 2008, at A1. Budgets down, caseloads up.

“Right now a lot of public defenders are starting to stand up and say, ‘No more: We can’t ethically handle this many cases,’” said David J. Carroll, director of research for the National Legal Aid and Defender Association.

Defendants feel greater pressure to plead guilty -- which can affect their immigration status as well sentences for any future convictions.

This story links to an article from last year Adam Liptak, Public Defenders Get Better Marks on Salary, N.Y. Times, July 14, 2008 (discussing Radha Iyengar, An Analysis of the Performance of Federal Indigent Defense Counsel, Nat'l Bur. Econ. Research Working Paper 13187, June 2007).