Public defenders plead their own case
"The Hennepin [County public] defenders laugh at how they end up reaching into their own pockets to give clients quarters to call family members, money for lunch or fare for a bus home."
Thanks to Jeff for passing on this link. Our dad has been a public defender in the Hennepin County juvenile court system for years. It's interesting (and rather sad) to read about how overburdened and underfunded the defenders' office is.
I really consider public defenders to be the most noble players in the legal game. They take jobs that pay far less than a position at a law firm, out of sheer idealism. They believe that a person's wealth or lack thereof shouldn't determine the quality of their treament in our legal system, that a poor person should not be deprived of a hardworking, capable lawyer. As the article in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, they defend people that many other folks would just as soon pretend don't exist, because they believe it's the right thing to do. In a profit-driven world, that's an encouraging and noble exception to the rule.
Unfortunately, it's much more popular to fund district attorneys' offices, because it's a good move politically to be "tough on crime." Uninformed people believe the government's money should be spent on prosecuting "criminals" (that is, people who have been accused of a crime, who may or may not actually be criminals) and not on providing those "criminals" with proper legal representation.
So with minimum funding and maximum work, the public defenders keep on plugging away at their caseload, trying to give the best service to their clients that they are able.
I enjoy good lawyer jokes just as much as the next guy. So does my dad, as a matter of fact. But the truth is that Dad, and all of his colleagues in the public defenders' office are heroes in my eyes. They deserve as much support, praise, and - yes - funding as we can give them.
Read all about a day in the life of one of Dad's colleagues: "Public defenders plead their own case"
Thanks to Jeff for passing on this link. Our dad has been a public defender in the Hennepin County juvenile court system for years. It's interesting (and rather sad) to read about how overburdened and underfunded the defenders' office is.
I really consider public defenders to be the most noble players in the legal game. They take jobs that pay far less than a position at a law firm, out of sheer idealism. They believe that a person's wealth or lack thereof shouldn't determine the quality of their treament in our legal system, that a poor person should not be deprived of a hardworking, capable lawyer. As the article in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, they defend people that many other folks would just as soon pretend don't exist, because they believe it's the right thing to do. In a profit-driven world, that's an encouraging and noble exception to the rule.
Unfortunately, it's much more popular to fund district attorneys' offices, because it's a good move politically to be "tough on crime." Uninformed people believe the government's money should be spent on prosecuting "criminals" (that is, people who have been accused of a crime, who may or may not actually be criminals) and not on providing those "criminals" with proper legal representation.
So with minimum funding and maximum work, the public defenders keep on plugging away at their caseload, trying to give the best service to their clients that they are able.
I enjoy good lawyer jokes just as much as the next guy. So does my dad, as a matter of fact. But the truth is that Dad, and all of his colleagues in the public defenders' office are heroes in my eyes. They deserve as much support, praise, and - yes - funding as we can give them.
Read all about a day in the life of one of Dad's colleagues: "Public defenders plead their own case"
posted by Bob at
1:29 PM
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