Burnaby, British Columbia Experimental Public Defender Project An Evaluation, Report One - Summary

• NCJ Number: 92216
• Author(s): P L Brantingham
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 20 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Canada Department of Justice
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services; Canada Dept of Justice
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: Report on work undertaken with the assistance of British Columbia Legal Services Society

Annotation

This is a summary of an evaluation of an experimental public defense office in Burnaby, British Columbia, where criminal legal aid was provided through public staff attorneys; the cost-effectiveness of the experimental project was compared with the current legal aid system, which pays private attorneys from public funds (judicare mode).

Abstract

The comparative analyses considered relative effectiveness, relative costs, client satisfaction, attorney time and fee structures, relationships with court personnel, and the impact of the introduction of a broader network of criminal defense offices on the private bar. Separate reports are provided for each aspect of the analyses. The evaluation involved a comparison of public defense counsel cases with cases handled by judicare counsel in the Burnaby, New Westminster, and Vancouver courts. The public defense mode of legal aid delivery was found to offer a cost-effective means of providing legal services if caseloads are maintained and quality of representation monitored. With a public defense mode, there should be reduced correctional system costs and, possibly, reduced court system costs. Clients should receive fewer jail sentences and be generally satisfied with the representation they receive. The public defense mode is believed to be most cost efficient if placed with a more general judicare system. Overall, the public defense mode is a reasonable additional mode of delivering legal aid and would fit well within the legal aid structure in the Province.