Guam
The 6th Amendment In Guam
The government of Guam funds and administers all indigent defense services. A commission is responsible for providing oversight of services territory-wide.
The territorially funded Public Defense Services Corporation (PDSC) administers all adult and juvenile trial and appellate representation across the island. The public defender division provides primary representation, the alternate public defender division provides secondary representation, and a private attorney panel division provides tertiary representation. The private attorney panel division pays private attorneys an hourly rate. There are five panels of private attorneys: felonies, misdemeanors, appeals, juveniles, and guardian ad litem. If no panel attorney is available, judges can appoint any licensed attorney from a membership list approved by the PDSC. A separate civil law division provides certain civil legal services.
The PDSC’s seven-member board oversees all divisions of the PDSC. The PDSC board appoints the PDSC director; the PDSC director then appoints a managing attorney for each division.
Dig Deeper
Does the Sixth Amendment right to counsel apply to Guam?
Who serves on the Public Defender Service Corporation board?
What are the required qualifications of the Public Defender Service Corporation executive director?
Guam Posts
Guam Gains Defender Independence in Unanimous Bipartisan Win
Articles (4)
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New Guam report finds judicial influence over indigent defense
March 26, 2024 -
The State of the Nation on Gideon’s 60th Anniversary
March 14, 2023 -
Will the Virgin Islands finally end the practice of conscripting non-qualified lawyers to represent the indigent accused?
May 18, 2017
Support 6AC
Criminal justice issues that disproportionately harm poor people, such as wrongful convictions and over-incarceration, cannot be fixed if indigent defendants are given attorneys who do not have the time, resources, or qualifications, to be a constitutional check on government. Yet, investment in improving indigent defense services remains largely neglected. The Sixth Amendment Center is the only nonprofit organization in the country that exclusively examines, uncovers, and helps fix the root of the indigent defense crisis in which inequality is perpetuated because poor defendants do not get a fair fight.
The Sixth Amendment Center is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under EIN: 45-3477185.
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