Report on Public Defense in Michigan Unveiled at State Bar Press Conference

6/17/08

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Ed Pappas, president-elect of the State Bar of Michigan, told a packed press conference June 17 that the Bar has long recognized the need to examine the delivery of public defense services in criminal proceedings and has been engaged in discussion for at least 25 years.		David Carroll, research director for the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, discussed the findings of the long-awaited extensive study on Public Defense in Michigan
Mr. Carroll said the Constitution requires that states provide effective legal counsel to defendants who cannot afford an attorney. The extensive study of 10 Michigan counties conducted by NLADA in partnership with the State Bar found that the state of Michigan is failing its citizens by forcing counties to fund the public defender system and neglecting to oversee public defense work in those counties.		The NLADA report was requested by the Michigan Legislature. Mr Carroll will be appearing before the Michigan legislature and will be the keynote speaker at the June 19 Michigan Public Defense Task Force’s Annual Conference, "Reforming Public Defense, Serving Our Communities," in Lansing.