NCJ Number
69920
Date Published
1973
Length
117 pages
Annotation
This final report on a consortium of States to furnish legal counsel to prisoners describes goals, impact and results, methods and timetable, evaluation, and resources.
Abstract
The consortium consisted of the three States of Georgia, Kansas, and Minnesota and operated under the guidance and supervision of a consortium center. The total population of the States is roughly 11,000,000; the total prison population is over 12,000. Consortium goals are described including organization, funding, provision of services to inmates and cooperation with State authorities, and the creation of permanent legal services to be funded by the States themselves at the end of 3 years of grant operation. The total number of inmate legal cases handled in the three State corrections systems during the grant year was 3,837. Based on adjusted caseload to date, it appears that inmate legal services were required by about 37 percent of the prison population. Approximately one-third of the cases were civil and two-thirds criminal during the first year of operation. Details of legal services for civil and criminal cases are described, and project efforts to reduce court caseloads and to provide fair, simple administrative procedures are analyzed. The consortium method of using a combined lawyer-law student program in each State is described in addition to the timetable for consortium organization and operation. The evaluation report concluded that each State has complied with its commitment in the grant application and that legal services are rendered with reasonable promptness and are of good quality. Two appendixes contain a table of organization and a description of the new disciplinary program in Kansas. Three addenda contain annual reports of Georgia, Kansas, and Minnesota.