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Chief public defender warns staffing shortages are lengthening family-reunification timelines
Summary
Durham's chief public defender told commissioners the office is understaffed, disposed 8,408 cases in FY24-25 with about 24 attorneys on staff, and said reinstating a local family drug-treatment court previously reduced reunification times would help but requires local funding and space.
Chief Public Defender Don Vaxon (speaker 14) briefed the county on the office's caseload and capacity, asking the commission for help with staffing, facilities and program support. He said the office disposed 8,408 cases in fiscal 2024—25 and currently has 24 attorneys plus the chief; he estimated staffing of about 30 attorneys would better meet workload demands.
"It takes too long in Durham County to reunify families," the chief said in describing how docket congestion and lost local treatment-court capacity have delayed reunification. He noted the family drug-treatment court that had improved reunification times was defunded and, without a similar program, timelines have lengthened.
Commissioners asked for data that would quantify how much longer family-reunification cases now take and requested historical cost estimates to consider whether restoring a locally funded family drug-treatment court is feasible in the next budget cycle. The chief also described operational challenges from implementing e-courts, which have strained digital and physical storage for confidential files, and asked the county to assess short-term workarounds for workspace and filing space.
The board thanked the public defender for the presentation and asked staff to follow up with specific figures and cost estimates about reinstating the family court model and about potential short-term facility changes.
