Tag: contracts – flat fee

Oregon passes sweeping indigent defense reforms

Pleading the Sixth: On July 13, 2023, Governor Tina Kotek signed sweeping legislation into law that overhauls right to counsel services in Oregon. The new law adopts many of 6AC’s recommendations from its 2019 study: it abolishes flat fee contracting

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lake County Report is the third strike against California’s deficient indigent defense systems

This evaluation was supported by 6AC’s Law Student Network.  Are indigent defense services best funded and coordinated by the government at the state level or local level? California has avoided answering this question for decades. Yet, a new 6AC report

Tagged with: , , , ,

New report exposes systemic deficiencies in New Hampshire’s administration and oversight of indigent defense representation

Pleading the Sixth: A new study shows that New Hampshire’s indigent defense system lacks adequate funding and structure to ensure that each indigent defendant receives constitutionally required effective assistance of counsel. The New Hampshire Judicial Council, the entity responsible for

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

The State of Illinois defaults on its constitutional right to counsel obligation

A new study shows there are two overarching reasons why the State of Illinois is defaulting on its constitutional right to counsel obligations. First, the state requires counties and courts to provide and predominantly fund indigent defense systems in a

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

California’s lack of oversight adds to Santa Cruz County’s indigent defense woes

Pleading the Sixth: For decades, Santa Cruz County has delegated to private law firms, through county contracts, all decision-making about the provision of Sixth Amendment right to counsel services. The county cannot accurately say how many people or cases, and of

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

A lack of effectiveness and financial oversight define Maine’s right to counsel system

Maine state outline map

Pleading the Sixth: Maine is the only state in the country that provides all indigent defense services through private attorneys. There are two principal reasons that other states have moved away from using solely private attorneys. First, it is difficult to

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,
Top