Authorizing the IDC to Employ Litigation and Other Reform Strategies

the Indigent Defense Committee may employ litigation and other reform strategies for improving the quality of the indigent defense systems in the state of Louisiana and in Wayne County, Michigan.

The Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) hereby resolves as follows:

WHEREAS preliminary investigation and ongoing experts studies reveal that public defender offices in Louisiana are understaffed and lack necessary resources for providing adequate representation to indigent persons accused of crime; and

WHEREAS NACDL has partnered with the Louisiana Crisis Assistance Center to take measures to improve indigent defense services in Louisiana; and

WHEREAS assigned counsel fees in Michigan are among the lowest in the nation; and

WHEREAS NACDL has partnered with the Recorders Court Bar Association and the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis to improve indigent defense services in Wayne County (Detroit), Michigan; and

WHEREAS NACDL is committed to furthering indigent defense systems which ensure quality representation of all accused individuals, and the Board of Directors has previously approved litigation and reform projects in Venango County, Pennsylvania, and the state of Virginia;

IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED that the Indigent Defense Committee may employ litigation and other reform strategies for improving the quality of the indigent defense systems in the state of Louisiana and in Wayne County, Michigan. 

Miami, FL

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