Legislative Auditor: Public Defenders Stretched Too Thin
Excerpt from February 16, 2010 article appearing in the Pioneer Press, by reporter Dennis Lien:
Workloads for Minnesota’s public defenders are too high, leaving them inadequate time with clients, causing them problems preparing cases and leading to scheduling problems for courts, the Office of the Legislative Auditor said Tuesday.
In an evaluation that affirmed earlier warnings about an essential part of the state’s criminal justice system, the office said those attorneys handle almost twice the caseload recommended by state and national standards.
“Those we interviewed and surveyed agreed that public defenders were, on the whole, excellent criminal defense attorneys,” the evaluation said. “However, stakeholders also reported that workloads were having a noticeable impact on public defenders’ ability to adequately and ethically represent their clients.”
The assessment came as no surprise.
“We’ve been pounding that drum for a long time,” said Kevin Kajer, chief administrator for the Minnesota Board of Public Defense. The board oversees public defenders, who provide criminal defense services for indigent people charged with felonies, gross misdemeanors and misdemeanors.