Documents
Through interviews and review of publicly available documents, NACDL compiled a history of Louisiana’s public defense system from 1963 to the present, uncovering some of the structural issues that have led to a system that exists in a constant state of emergency. While acknowledging that representation in Louisiana has improved overall since 2007, the report found several deficiencies including funding disparities, lack of independence, and inadequate quality of representation.
Based on these findings, the report presents six recommendations for reform in Louisiana:
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The Louisiana Legislature should fully fund the provision of public defense services in Louisiana from general revenue.
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The Louisiana Legislature should repeal the public defender fee on convictions and public defender application fee, and replace local revenue for public defense with state general revenue. If local revenue is a necessary transitional measure before sufficient state revenue is available to fully fund public defense, changes to local revenue streams that will make them more stable and equitable should be adopted.
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Louisiana should establish parity between the defense function and the prosecution.
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Louisiana judges should respect the independent professional judgment of lawyers who provide public defense services, including their determinations that a conflict prevents them from accepting or maintaining representation of a case.
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Louisiana judges should release from detention accused individuals for whom the state cannot provide counsel due to its underfunding of the public defense system.
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LPDB and the defender community should re-focus on improving the quality of representation rather than merely surviving the next crisis.
News of Interest
- NACDL News Release, March 2, 2017
Supported by NFCJ
The NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice preserves and promotes the core values of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the American criminal justice system.
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Alcohol, Blackouts and Consent in Sex Cases
This comprehensive training program provides defense attorneys with a rigorous, science-backed approach to dismantling prosecutorial narratives, exposing unreliable testimony, and ensuring that juries are properly educated on the complexities of memory, intoxication, and consent. You'll explores critical mistakes and misconceptions encountered in these cases, including errors in memory reconstruction after an event, incorrect inferences, cognitive schemas, suggestibility, contamination and misinformation, mistakes of fact and more.
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NACDL's 2024 Annual Pass gives you full access to the recordings of every CLE Institue live training seminar held in 2024! That means every CLE speech, presentation and training - along with all accompanying written materials - is yours for over 50% off! With this exclusive pass, you gain unlimited access to a treasure-trove of recent NACDL Trial Skills training that will help you win more cases!