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Public defender says training, technology and salary restructuring aim to meet caseload standards as hires continue
Summary
Chief assistant public defender Matthew Alpern presented the office’s 2026 budget, citing statewide grant funding, a planned attorney salary restructuring to aid recruitment and investments in training and discovery technology as the office works toward caseload standards.
Matthew Alpern, chief assistant public defender, presented the Albany County Public Defender Office’s proposed 2026 budget and told the Legislature the office is relying on state grant funding and internal changes to address recruitment, training and increasing caseload pressures.
Alpern said a substantial portion of the office’s funding comes from the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services (ILS) statewide expansion grant and supplemental funding from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). He said the office is in the second year of a statewide expansion grant that runs April 2024 through March 31, 2027, and that DCJS funding supports discovery reform work.
To address…
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