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Mohave County indigent defense offices ask board for new attorneys, investigators and pay boosts
Summary
On April 21 the Mohave County Board of Supervisors heard requests from county indigent defense offices for more staff and higher contract rates to meet caseload guidelines and new juvenile mandates. Presenters described short staffing across the Public Defender, Legal Defender and Legal Advocate offices and quantified near-term costs.
The Mohave County Board of Supervisors on April 21 heard a joint presentation from the county's Indigent Defense Services (IDS), Public Defender's Office, Legal Defender's Office and the Legal Advocate's Office outlining staffing shortages, caseload pressures and a multi-million-dollar set of budget requests to restore capacity.
Why it matters: The county is legally required to provide counsel for accused adults and juveniles. Presenters said current staffing leaves offices handling substantially more cases than professional guidelines recommend, and that new juvenile rules and Title 36 involuntary-treatment obligations are increasing investigator and travel needs.
Blake Schroeder, IDS director, said IDS assigns cases to the public defender, legal defender, legal advocate or to contract attorneys when internal offices cannot accept a case. John Gillenwater, public defender, cited caseload guidelines and said the county's public…
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