NCJ Number
141948
Date Published
1993
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This fiscal year 1992 annual report of the Vermont Office of the Defender General addresses the purpose, status, history, program structure, services, and costs of the State's public defender system.
Abstract
Regarding the current status of Vermont's public defender system, the report notes that the provision of counsel for indigent defendants and children in abuse, neglect, and delinquency cases continues to face significant and critical challenges. The fundamental problem is the lack of resources to keep pace with caseload demands. There has been a continuing pattern of caseload escalation; an increase in the number of homicide cases in which representation is handled by public defenders and assigned counsel; continued increases in the reporting and prosecution of child abuse, neglect, delinquency and sexual assault cases; and increases in the costs of criminal litigation. Increased public awareness and vigorous prosecution of certain categories of cases, such as sex, motor vehicle, and drug offenses, that were formerly less prevalent in the judicial system have strained court dockets. For public defenders, the complexity and volume of caseloads assigned in recent years and continuing into fiscal year 1992 have pressed the constitutional and statutory obligations to provide effective assistance of counsel beyond the sustainable capacity of current staffing. Tabular data and figures