Public defender relief bill awaits Senate approval

Last year, the public defender system in Missouri served more than 86,000 people who could not afford their own attorneys, according to a news release from the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon.

Including carry-over from previous years, public defenders had annual caseloads of approximately 380. The American Bar Association, however, recommends that no lawyer should take on more than 225 cases a year, and the bill works to address the caseload discrepancy, which some feel could lead to convictions being overturned.

“The constitutional right to legal counsel is a fundamental part of ensuring equal access to justice,” Goodman said in the release. “Missouri should do everything possible to ensure that all people receive a fair trial and that the convictions handed down by juries are upheld in appellate court.”

Goodman, a former prosecutor, is not alone in his belief that the crisis facing the state’s public defender system is a serious obstacle to the administration of justice.

“For too long, Missouri public defenders have faced heavy caseloads while receiving unreasonably low salaries,” said Sen. Michael Gibbons, R-Kirkwood, who is Senate president pro tem, in the release. “This bill will help us to recruit and retain more of our public defenders and allow them to focus on delivering a fair day in court to the people who rely on them.”

The bill, Senate Bill 611, has been sent to the House of Representatives, where it is awaiting approval.