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Council reviews appropriation to cover special public defender and investigative costs amid high felony caseload
Summary
The council discussed an appropriation request to pay outstanding bills for special public defenders and outside litigation support. Members pressed on causes of a high felony caseload per capita and on whether indigency determinations and court practices are being audited or standardized.
The council discussed an appropriation request to cover outstanding bills for special public defenders and outside investigative and litigation-support services, emphasizing the county's unusually high felony caseload per capita and the strain on the public defender office.
The request was described by a representative of the Public Defender's Office as intended to pay outstanding invoices for special public defenders and for litigation support and outside investigative services. Council members and staff pressed for context on long-term fixes, asking whether the county is paying for representation in cases where defendants could afford private counsel and whether there are standard procedures or audit steps for indigency determinations.
Why it matters: Vanderburgh County's public defender office reported caseload pressures that exceed recommended limits. The discussion identified two related…
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