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Defender general outlines public‑defense staffing crisis and backlog pressures on courts
Summary
The defender general told the Judiciary Committee that Vermont’s public‑defense system is struggling with recruitment and retention, falling law‑school pipeline numbers, and a growing case backlog that fuels low‑level reoffending. He urged attention to court processes and resources rather than adding detention penalties without capacity.
The defender general briefed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 20 about mounting personnel challenges in Vermont’s public‑defense system and the operational effects of a large case backlog.
Introduced to the panel as the state’s chief public defender, the defender general described an office that combines in‑house staff and a significant roster of contract attorneys to handle conflict and overflow cases. He said the office employs roughly 100 state staff and manages about 100 outside contracts for conflict or overflow representation, and he cited a budget in the $27–28 million range.
He told senators that public‑defense hiring and retention have worsened since the pandemic:…
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