Public Defender Workloads
In recent years, criminal legal system actors have gained a better understanding of the harmful collateral effects of legal system involvement, and that true public safety requires us to address the impact of incarceration and consider the root causes of crime to increase public safety. This is critical work, but it also demands more of already strained public defense systems.
In 2021, Governor Newsom signed AB 625. It requires, “the State Public Defender, in consultation with the California Public Defenders Association and other subject matter experts, to undertake a study to assess appropriate workloads for public defenders and indigent defense attorneys”
The goal of the study is to identify areas where defense counsel can significantly improve the outcomes it provides to a client population that has needs extending well beyond the courtroom through more effective staffing, funding, or other mechanisms.
OSPD has partnered with SMU’s Deason Center to provide this report to the legislature and anticipates release in early 2025.
Deason CenterNational Standards for Public Defender Workloads
In 2023, the American Bar Association, RAND, and the National Center for State Courts published new National Public Defender Workload Standards. OSPD has worked to make that document applicable to California systems.