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: executive
The Defender Council is a commission of five members, all of whom are selected by and serve at the pleasure of the governor. The council appoints the state public defender to head the statewide Office of the Public Defender, located in the executive branch and responsible for right to counsel 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%
The methods used to provide public counsel
The Office of the Public Defender has five branch offices, each staffed with full-time public defenders, that handle all right to counsel services. Private attorneys handle conflicts on individual cases that are diverted away from the public defender offices.
Legal authority
Hawaii Constitution, art. 1, § 14
Hawaii Revised Statutes, §§ 802-1 through 802-12 (counsel and other services for indigent criminal defendants)
Source of data: original research conducted by Sixth Amendment Center staff.
