All data is current as of 2013, unless otherwise noted.
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How the right to counsel is administered and structured
State commission: yes
Branch of government: judicial
The independence of Connecticut’s public defense system is ensured through the seven-person Public Defender Services Commission appointed by diverse authorities: Governor, Chief Justice, Speaker of the House, Senate President Pro Tempore, and the House of Representatives Minority and Majority Leaders. The commission oversees the Division of Public Defender Services, a judicial branch agency that oversees both primary and conflict defender services throughout the state.
How the right to counsel is funded
Percentage of state funding: 100%
Percentage of local funding: 0%
Percentage of alternative funding: 0%
All primary and conflict defender services throughout the state are state-funded through the Division of Public Defender Services.
The methods used to provide public counsel
The state Division of Public Defender Services provides trial-level services throughout the state. It operates branch offices staffed with full-time attorneys serving the state’s 13 judicial districts, 13 juvenile venues, and 20 geographic area courts.
Conflict representation is handled by a panel of private attorneys, which is also administered statewide by the Division of Public Defender Services.
Legal authority
Connecticut Constitution, art. 1, § 8
Connecticut General Statutes, §§ 51-289 through 51-300 (public defender commission)
Source of data: original research conducted by Sixth Amendment Center staff.
