Mo p.d. crisis

Crisis looms in the public defender system - Staggering case loads mean some may not get fair representation:

A recent study found that the Missouri Public Defender System is on the verge of collapse.

J. Marty Robinson, the director of the state public defender system, does not disagree...

Too many cases, too few defenders - State ranks 47th in spending on its public defender system:

Outside organizations like the Missouri Bar Association are pushing the public defender's office to do something about what they believe is a crisis. Spiraling case loads have exceeded the capacity of the legal system, and it is no longer certain that indigent clients are getting adequate representation.

"There are two ways to fix it," said State Public Defender J. Marty Robinson. "Either there's not enough people (attorneys) or there are too many cases. If we had fewer cases we wouldn't have a problem."

Time for a supply-side solution - let's try the filing-fewer-cases approach for a change.

(I'm a bit bummed this evening: I'm in trial in a case where my client was charged with three Class C felonies, and once he rejected the state's offer, the prosecutor thought it would be just to upgrade one of the counts to a Class A violent strike offense. Justice.)