Montgomery County has approved the decision to add 15 more public defenders to its ranks, reports Chris Palmer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The decision was announced Thursday following a county commissioners salary board meeting.
A recent study shows that counties across the state are drastically understaffed. Paul Heaton, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, analyzed over a million court dockets in PA over a six-year period and concluded that the state should be employing around 1,200 lawyers to adequately service the community. Instead, that number is closer to 850.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the State earlier this year following Heaton’s report, citing that the shortage was unlawful. Of the 66 public defender’s offices across the state, only 6 had sufficient staffing. Montco currently employs about 50 attorneys. The decision to hire more was voted in unanimously.
Commissioner Neil Makhija notes the historic significance of the move. “This is the most substantial investment in our public defender’s office since its creation,” he said.
Funding the public defender’s office has historically been left solely up to local county boards. As of last year, the State has allocated $7.5 million in funding for indigent defense.
Read more about Montco’s push to add more public defenders at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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