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Louisiana's public defense system could collapse without renewed cash flow
Source: The Guardian
Louisiana's public defense system could collapse without renewed cash flow
The meltdown could push the state’s incarceration rate – already the
highest in the world – even higher
Ed Pilkington in New York
Friday 4 March 2016 16.47 GMT
The state of Louisiana is the world capital of incarceration. It locks up more of its citizens than anywhere else on the globe – some 1,341 out of every 100,000 people.
That’s twice the US national average (716), nearly three times the per capita rate in Russia (475) and nine times that of the UK (148). It’s even substantially higher than North Korea’s (thought to be around 800).
Now the Pelican state is in the throes of a crisis that is certain to propel its already astronomical incarceration rate to new heights. Its public defender service, a network of state-funded lawyers that provides legal representation to poor Louisianans, is in meltdown, with most of its district offices set to cancel all new cases or close down entirely by next summer.
An assessment by the Louisiana public defender board obtained by the Guardian warns that by July of 2017, as many as 33 of the state’s 42 districts are likely to be so short of cash they will be forced to stop representing clients. Eleven of those districts may be forced to shut down by this October.
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The meltdown could push the state’s incarceration rate – already the
highest in the world – even higher
Ed Pilkington in New York
Friday 4 March 2016 16.47 GMT
The state of Louisiana is the world capital of incarceration. It locks up more of its citizens than anywhere else on the globe – some 1,341 out of every 100,000 people.
That’s twice the US national average (716), nearly three times the per capita rate in Russia (475) and nine times that of the UK (148). It’s even substantially higher than North Korea’s (thought to be around 800).
Now the Pelican state is in the throes of a crisis that is certain to propel its already astronomical incarceration rate to new heights. Its public defender service, a network of state-funded lawyers that provides legal representation to poor Louisianans, is in meltdown, with most of its district offices set to cancel all new cases or close down entirely by next summer.
An assessment by the Louisiana public defender board obtained by the Guardian warns that by July of 2017, as many as 33 of the state’s 42 districts are likely to be so short of cash they will be forced to stop representing clients. Eleven of those districts may be forced to shut down by this October.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/04/louisiana-public-defense-system-cash-flow-collapse