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Subcommittee backs expansion of counsel-at-first-appearance in jurisdictions with public defenders
Summary
Senate Bill 1227, which would require counsel at first appearance in jurisdictions that have public defender offices, was reported by the Judiciary subcommittee and referred to Senate Finance after testimony from public defenders, indigent defense officials and prosecutors about capacity and the effect on pretrial detention.
The subcommittee voted to report and refer Senate Bill 1227, a measure that would require the presence of counsel at a defendant's first court appearance in jurisdictions that have established public defender offices under Virginia statute.
Supporters including the Indigent Defense Commission, public defender staff, and criminal-justice advocates argued that counsel at first appearance reduces pretrial detention, produces fairer bail determinations and lowers the fiscal and human costs of holding people who have not been convicted. Proponents pointed to local jurisdictions where…
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