Expert Services

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

Executive Director David Carroll and Deputy Director Jon Mosher present the 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 trial level state courts.

Executive Director David Carroll discusses various ways that states have enforced indigent defense standards. Also providing information to the Task Force are: William Leahy, Director of the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services; and the Honorable Thomas Boyd, District Court Judge for Michigan’s 55th Judicial District in Ingham County (Lansing) and member of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission.

Executive Director David Carroll presents the findings from the 6AC’s evaluation of the public defender office in Wayne County (Detroit), Michigan.

Executive Director David Carroll discusses how best to overcome the systemic deficiencies identified in the 6AC’s statewide evaluation of Mississippi’s adult felony trial level indigent defense services.

Executive Director David Carroll presents an update on the status of the 6AC’s assessment of adult indigent defense services in rural Nevada.

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.

Executive Director David Carroll joins a panel discussion of Indiana’s statewide systemic deficiencies in providing right to counsel services. The discussion is moderated by Rebecca Green of WBOI public radio. Other panelists are Allen County Superior Court Judge Fran Gull, Allen County Deputy Prosecutor Mike McAlexander, and Indiana Public Defender Council Executive Director Larry Landis. The conversation is broadcast on WBOI radio and CollegeTV.

Executive Director David Carroll discusses the technical assistance and training available through the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, in the panel presentation “Looking Back and Moving Forward: Stories and Action Steps from Federally Funded TTA Providers.” Joining him in the presentation are Priya Sarathy-Jones (BJA), Marea Beeman (NLADA’s Director of Research Initiatives), Jon Rapping (Founder/President of Gideon’s Promise), and Lisa Vavonese (Center for Court Innovation’s Deputy Director for Update Office and Peacemaking Coordinator).

Executive Director David Carroll interviews Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Bivins about the court’s support for legislation to improve the provision of counsel to indigent defendants in Tennessee, including by creating a statewide oversight commission and state appellate defender office, and by increasing the compensation paid to the private attorneys appointed to represent the poor. Speakers at this National Consortium include Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.