NCJ Number
131847
Date Published
1989
Length
70 pages
Annotation
The current system for providing defense counsel for indigent defendants at the appellate court level in Washington was analyzed in terms of its current nature and operation as well as the comparative advantages and disadvantages of the systems in California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and other states.
Abstract
Indigent representation at the appellate level in Washington is provided mainly by a non-profit appellate defender organization, the Washington Appellate Defender Association, and by private counsel appointed on a case by case basis at the trial court level. Local public defender attorneys also occasionally provide appellate representation. Each of the other five states has a State-level public defender organization, usually located in the judicial branch. Reliable cost comparisons among states are impossible. However, Washington should improve its system either by providing either full-time public defenders or experienced court-appointed private counsel, preferably through a mixed system that emphasizes the use of full-time appellate public defenders. Therefore, a statewide system is needed that is overseen by an oversight body. Charts, cost projections, and appended invoice and Michigan standards