6th Amendment Center Releases Report Evaluating Wayne County Defender Office

A new report released by the Sixth Amendment Center (6AC) has identified deficiencies in indigent legal services in Wayne County. The report further concludes the State Defender Office of the Metropolitan Justice Center of Southeast Michigan requires greater funding to ensure all residents receive their Constitutional right to counsel.

“For sixteen years, the State Defender Office (SDO) in Wayne County received the same funding despite increased caseloads, and increased overhead expenses assessed by the SDO’s governing board,” stated 6AC Executive Director David Carroll. “Public defense attorneys are prevented from providing effective representation because they lack sufficient time, resources, and support staff to properly prepare cases.”

The report was prepared by the 6th Amendment Center at the request of Wayne County through an innovation grant awarded to the system by the MIDC in the fall of 2017.

Read the report and summary on the 6th Amendment Center’s website.

Read the press release here.

Additional coverage can be found here.