Oklahoma Indigent Defense System seeks $2.8 million to open two satellite offices, expand client navigation services

Jamie Pivas, interim executive director of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary on March 28 that the agency is asking the Legislature for $2.8 million to open two satellite offices and cover recurring costs after several county contracts failed to attract adequate bids.

The request includes about $2 million to establish two new satellite offices — one proposed in Shawnee to serve Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties and one in Claremore to serve Craig, Ottawa, Nowata and Rogers counties — and roughly $800,000 to cover recurring costs for offices the agency opened this fiscal year, Pivas said.

The ask is intended to ensure continued direct representation in six counties where contractor bids have been consistently understaffed, agency chiefs told senators. “The satellite office model gives us better control and a better ability to protect those constitutional rights,” Kevin Finley, chief of the noncapital trial division, said.

Nut graf: The agency said its hybrid model — a mix of full‑time satellite offices and contracts with private attorneys — has delivered statewide coverage but that several rural contracts cannot be filled at current rates. Officials argued that establishing full‑time, benefited staff in two offices would improve service quality where contracts are failing; they framed the request as necessary to meet the agency’s statutory mandate to provide counsel to indigent defendants.

Key facts and figures

- Headcount and FTEs: Pivas said the agency has 202 employees (headcount) and 197 FTEs; the agency reports 28 unfilled FTEs. - Offices and coverage: OIDS operates a main office in Norman, 12 satellite offices covering 36 counties, and 26 contracts (with 24 contractors) covering 39 counties. - Caseload: The noncapital trial division handles roughly 45,000 cases annually (about 30,000 new cases plus carryover), the agency said. - Contractors: Agency officials said some contracts are chronically understaffed; the current combined contract amount for Rogers, Craig and Nowata counties is $270,000, which officials said is far below the cost of opening and operating a satellite office for those areas. - Cost range: Officials estimated it costs between $700,000 and $1 million to open and operate a satellite office, depending on staffing levels; the $2 million figure covers two offices. - Capital caseload: Mitchell Solomon, chief of the capital trial division in Norman, said the division currently has nine capital cases and expects two more, noting the heavy investigatory and expert‑witness demands of death‑penalty representation. - Resource navigation: Karen Walker Dodge summarized the resource navigation program, launched July 2023. The agency said four navigators cover about 23 counties; from program start through the end of FY24 the program served 459 clients. Dodge said the program links clients to social services and treatment and provides attorneys with individualized service care plans.

Why officials say the change is needed

Agency leaders told the committee that contractor pay per case (which the agency estimates averages about $311 per case under current contracts) does not attract or retain sufficient private attorneys to staff remote counties, forcing counties to go without adequate indigent defense coverage or rely on understaffed contractors.

Pivas and Finley said a satellite model — full‑time attorneys and support staff paid on state payroll — provides steadier staffing, more investigator support, and improved training and supervision. The agency cited recent experience opening offices without immediate additional appropriations (Pryor for Mayes County and Poteau for Le Flore County) and said recurring costs for those offices should be funded going forward.

Budget details discussed

Senators pressed agency leaders on whether the $2.8 million ask covers both capital costs (rent, computers, fleet) and personnel; Pivas confirmed the estimate includes rent, utilities, salaries, benefits, fleet vehicles and travel. Finley said contract amounts for the affected counties are far lower than the estimated per‑office cost and that the current contracts have struggled to staff vacancies.

Resource navigation and other programs

Karen Walker Dodge described the resource navigation program as using the Health‑Related Social Needs assessment (HRSN) and individualized service care plans to connect clients to housing, mental‑health and substance‑use treatment, public benefits and employment supports. Agency materials say the program is intended to reduce recidivism, support sentencing mitigation, and reduce state and county costs over time. The agency reported adding three resource navigators after launching the program and said the navigators are based in satellite offices.

Training, recruitment and retention

Pivas described efforts to boost recruiting and retention, including restoring a training coordinator position, expanding paid internships to 18 positions, increasing salaries, and a proposal to raise conflict‑counsel rates (the agency said it increased out‑of‑court rates from $100 to $120 and would like to move to a $120/$140 structure for out‑of‑court/in‑court rates).

Constraints and risks

Officials warned that a flat or standstill budget would limit the agency’s ability to open the two offices if contract rebids fail, and they might need supplemental funding later. They also listed a reliance on carryover funds to meet occasional unfunded mandates, including state laws and procedural changes that require additional staffing or training.

Quotes

- “I’ve been in this role for about a week,” Jamie Pivas said in opening, noting she’d brought senior staff to answer budget and program questions. - “The satellite office model gives us better control and a better ability to protect those constitutional rights,” Kevin Finley said when arguing why full‑time staffed offices are preferable to contractor models.

Ending

Agency leaders asked the committee for continued support to maintain and expand satellite offices and the resource navigation program. No formal vote or committee decision was recorded during the presentation; senators indicated they would consider the agency’s request as part of the broader budget process.