Expert Services

Executive Director David Carroll and Deputy Director Jon Mosher present the final findings and recommendations, for response and comment, from 6AC’s evaluation of public defense services provided by the Public Defense Services Commission and the Office of Public Defense Services in Oregon’s state trial courts.

Executive Director David Carroll and Deputy Director Jon Mosher explain the history of the right to counsel in America, the 6AC’s philosophy for ensuring the Sixth Amendment right to counsel, and 6AC’s method of evaluating indigent defense systems.

Executive Director David Carroll and Deputy Director Jon Mosher present preliminary findings from 6AC’s evaluation of public defense services provided by the Public Defense Services Commission and the Office of Public Defense Services in Oregon’s state trial courts.

Executive Director David Carroll provides technical assistance expertise to the Task Force in its final meeting as it advances its agenda for the 2019 legislative session, including seeking reimbursement of counties for misdemeanor representation, a statewide appellate defender, and increased staffing for the Indiana Public Defender Commission.

Executive Director presents 6AC’s final findings and recommendations resulting from the 6AC’s assessment of adult indigent defense services in rural Nevada. 6AC’s report “The Right to Counsel in Rural Nevada – Evaluation of Indigent Defense Services” explains for the first time how indigent defense services are provided in every trial level court in the state outside of Clark County (Las Vegas) and Washoe County (Reno), collectively referred to in Nevada as the “rural counties.”

Executive Director presents preliminary findings and recommendations from 6AC’s assessment of adult indigent defense services in rural Nevada.

Deputy Director Jon Mosher and Executive Director David Carroll present preliminary findings from 6AC’s evaluation of trial level indigent defense services in Armstrong and Potter counties.

Executive Director David Carroll discusses the ways in which deficiencies in indigent defense systems contribute to wrongful convictions. Special emphasis is placed on undue political and judicial interference with the independence of the defense function and on the use of United States v. Cronic to get at how systemic deficiencies prevent even the best lawyers from providing constitutionally effective right to counsel services.

Executive Director David Carroll, along with co-panelist Lisa Foster who is the Director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center, discusses deficiencies in indigent defense systems and what prosecutors can do to improve the right to counsel, focusing on the actual denial of counsel that occurs when prosecutors enter into plea negotiations with unrepresented defendants.

Executive Director David Carroll moderates a panel presentation on “Resource Challenges in Treatment, Counseling and Services Provision.” He is joined on the panel by: Francis Abbott, Executive Director of the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Parole; Betty Taylor, Chief of Police for Winfield, Missouri; and Natassia Walsh, Program Manager for the National Association of Counties. The panelists discuss the challenges in rural America of providing victims, family members, defendants, detainees, and returning citizens with services such as medical, mental health & substance abuse treatment, educational support, and employment counseling. In addition to moderating the panel, Carroll discusses the difficulties of providing effective assistance of counsel in rural America.

The National Project Citizen initiative encourages high school students to get involved to help solve local issues. For its participation in that initiative, the Oasis Academy chose the topic of reform of indigent defense services in Nevada. 6AC’s Executive Director meets with the students to discuss their findings that the State of Nevada does not ensure constitutionally effective assistance of counsel.

Executive Director David Carroll and Counsel Mike Tartaglia discuss the ways in which deficiencies in indigent defense systems contribute to wrongful convictions. Special emphasis is placed on undue political and judicial interference with the independence of the defense function and on the use of United States v. Cronic to get at how systemic deficiencies prevent even the best lawyers from providing constitutionally effective right to counsel services.