Missouri running out of free public defense lawyers. How about re-doing social and justice systems instead?
Missouri courts are overloaded with criminal cases. Missouri’s Public Defenders are overloaded with cases. They can’t service the cases they do have.
Missouri ranks 49th in the country in per capita spending on indigent defense, and overwhelmed public defenders in the state’s biggest cities have begun to decline cases – urging judges to appoint private counsel instead. But a Missouri appeals court this week ordered them to take all cases, saying rejecting cases is not constitutional.
Their options are to take more cases, so they’re not providing adequate legal representation, or to decline more cases and handle the cases they have.
If they decline cases, then Missouri must pay to hire private lawyers.
Ahem.
I see a problem here.
Why not look globally at all the cases handled by the State of Missouri.
- If they are petty theft, you’re dealing with too much underlying poverty. Spend State money to provide basic food and services.
- If its drug related, you’re dealing with addiction. Spend money to provide rehabilitation in the community, along with basic food and services.
- If its violence related, you’re dealing with anger management issues. Spend money in the school systems, the juvenile justice systems, and the prison system teaching non-violent communication.
- If its white collar crime, a la Bernie Madoff, go for the jugular and get money to reimburse the State for all the monies spent to stabilize the community.
Just saying.
Its not always a solution to hire more lawyers. Someone’s got to have vision and get into the communities to train growth into healthy systems.
Its doable. Lets do it.
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