Tag Archives: public defense

‘Wholesale Destruction’ Awaits as Louisiana Public Defense System Goes Broke

Public defense offices in world capital of incarceration poised for massive shutdown by 2017, which could leave tens of thousands in jail indefinitely

By Nadia Prupis, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 3-4-2016

A spokesperson for the Orleans Parish office said defenders there had already turned away 39 cases, leaving 28 people in custody. (Photo: Sandra Cohen-Rose and Collin Rose/flickr/cc)

A spokesperson for the Orleans Parish office said defenders there had already turned away 39 cases, leaving 28 people in custody. (Photo: Sandra Cohen-Rose and Collin Rose/flickr/cc)

The public defense system of Louisiana is on the brink of financial collapse.

A new assessment by the Louisiana public defender board, obtained by the Guardian, is warning that most of the state’s district offices providing legal counsel to low-income people are set to cancel new cases or shut down completely by next summer.

The Guardian reports: Continue reading

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