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Minnehaha County officials urge more staff, strategic plan as public defense caseloads rise
Summary
Public defender and public advocate offices told commissioners rising juvenile and abuse-and-neglect caseloads, staffing shortages and costly private counsel are driving a request for one full-time attorney, office space and strategic countywide planning to hold more cases in-house.
Tracy Smith, public defender for the second judicial circuit, and Julie Hofer of the public advocate's office told the Minnehaha County Commission that growing juvenile and abuse-and-neglect caseloads are stretching both offices and increasing costs for the county.
Smith said the public defender's office staffed 27 attorneys, three investigators, six legal office assistants and seven paralegals in 2024 and handled roughly 71–72% of indigent-defense cases in Minnehaha County; the public advocate handled about 20% and private counsel about 8%. She told commissioners the office filed 4,073 misdemeanor cases and 3,097 felony cases in 2024 and noted a rise in probation-related and…
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