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Pilot ‘day‑one’ public defender program aims to expand rural legal representation
Summary
The Office of State Public Defender told a Senate appropriations subcommittee that a nonprofit pilot delivering ‘day‑one’ jail representation in rural counties has begun taking cases, is staffed with a small team, and needs a mix of general‑fund and capital funding to expand.
The subcommittee heard a presentation on a new “day‑one” public‑defender pilot designed to bring early criminal defense to rural Mississippi.
Andre, representing the Office of State Public Defender, said the nonprofit project began taking cases Oct. 1, hired a director (Richard Carter) and two junior attorneys plus an investigator, and opened office space in Kosciusko. “The pilot project that was funded last year … the funding came in the June, and and we were ready to start putting things together in July,” he told the committee.
The pilot is targeted to counties…
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