Detroit Public Defender System Failing

August 17, 2009

According to the United States Constitution, anyone who cannot afford a lawyer can have one appointed to him or her (free of charge) by the state in which they live. This can be for either prosecution or defense. However, the residents of Detroit- a city that is suffering from poverty and unemployment- are having an especially hard time finding legal representation if they cannot afford to pay for their own lawyer.

The public defenders in Detroit are underpaid and they have to cope with unmanageable caseloads and flimsy oversight. Many of the lawyers who are on the state’s payroll are corrupt. One has been reprimanded more than 40 times for misconduct. He has filed briefs late and did not keep his clients adequately informed.

Many of the public defenders in Detroit are now bringing lawsuits to the state and federal Supreme Court, saying that it is the responsibility of the government to provide lower-income individuals and families with legal representation.