The Spangenberg Group
Works With the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense
In Texas, counties have
the primary responsibility for funding and organizing indigent
defense services. Counties can opt to use a court-appointed counsel,
public defender or contract counsel system to provide indigent
defense services, or they can use some combination of these models.
The Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense was created as part of
significant reforms to Texas' indigent defense system enacted in the
2001 Fair Defense Act (still commonly referred to as the bill's
number, SB 7). The Task Force provides state formula grants to
counties, whose costs increased from the reforms put in place by SB
7. In addition, the Task Force develops minimum standards of quality
indigent defense services; monitors and assists counties in meeting
those standards; and works to bring consistency, quality control and
accountability to indigent defense practices in Texas.
A statewide study
of indigent defense in Texas prepared by The Spangenberg Group in
2000 for Texas Appleseed played a significant role in helping to
persuade Texas legislators to enact SB 7. As with many of our
projects, The Spangenberg Group's involvement in Texas did not end
once our study was completed. We have been working with the Task
Force to help fulfill its mission to improve indigent defense in
Texas. To this end, TSG recently completed three studies for the
Task Force, all pertaining to public defender programs. Out of the
state's 254 counties, only seven have a public defender office.
The Task Force is
interested in improving existing public defender offices and
encouraging other counties to consider a public defender system.
Thus, The Spangenberg Group evaluated two county systems with public
defender programs, Wichita County and Dallas County, and helped
prepare a Blueprint for Creating a Public Defender Office in Texas
to be used by counties considering a public defender office.
Among other changes
codified by the Fair Defense Act is a process for counties to create
a public defender office that no longer requires special legislation
to be passed. As a result, the process of creating a single-county
or regional public defender office is now less cumbersome for
counties. The Blueprint for Creating a Public Defender Office was
prepared to provide background on the pros and cons of different
types of indigent defense delivery systems (assigned counsel,
contract counsel or public defender) and to provide practical
assistance to those county officials who feel that a public defender
model would serve their county well. Contributions to the document,
which sets out legal, economic and administrative factors for
counties to consider when creating public defender offices, were
also provided by county officials, lawyers, judges and other
professionals working in the Texas criminal justice system. The
Blueprint is available on the Task Force's website: http://www.courts.state.tx.us/tfid/TFIDentrance.htm.
For more
information contact tsg@spangenberggroup.com
