Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Mohave County indigent defense officials ask board for staff and rate increases amid rising caseloads
Summary
Mohave County indigent defense leaders asked the Board of Supervisors on April 21 to expand staff and raise contractor pay to address growing caseloads and state-mandated duties.
Mohave County indigent defense leaders asked the Board of Supervisors on April 21 to expand staff and raise contractor pay to address growing caseloads and state-mandated duties.
Blake Schroeder, director of Indigent Defense Services (IDS), summarized the county's assigned-defense process and said statewide caseload guidelines recommend no more than 150 felonies or 400 misdemeanors per attorney and only 200 juvenile cases per attorney. He said IDS oversees assignments to the Public Defender's Office (PDO), Legal Defender Office (LDO) and the Legal Advocate Office (LAO) and manages contracts for private conflict counsel and Title 36 mental-health evaluations.
John Gillenwater, Mohave County public defender, told the board PDO staff have fallen from 20 attorneys in 2010 to 12 today while felony filings remain high.…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
