|
Indigent
Defense Reform
In New Mexico,
problems with the state’s public defense delivery system have been
brewing under the surface for years. In a recent report on
indigent defense systems nationwide, the American Bar Association noted
that New Mexico suffers from: the lack of political independence
throughout the entire system; high caseloads, low salaries and
consequent recruitment/retention problems; and no formal, systemic
training for either attorneys or support staff, among other
shortcomings.
Over 80% of all New
Mexicans accused of a crime are poor, and rely on the Public Defender
Department to protect their Constitutional rights and provide them with
an adequate defense. In order to help improve the quality of
services they receive, the Center is engaged in the following
activities:
|
|
The Center is the
founding member and primary force behind the New Mexico Coalition for
Justice. The Coalition, which is made up of concerned individuals
and organizations from across the state and the nation, is the only
organization in New Mexico whose mission is comprehensive reform of the
public defense system. To achieve this end, the Coalition’s intention
is to follow national standards in establishing an independent
commission which will select the Chief Public Defender and oversee the
operations of the Public Defender Department, and ensure that the
commission, and the department it oversees, is properly funded.
Legislation creating such a commission has been drafted and will be
submitted at the 2007 legislative session. For more information,
please visit:
www.nmcoalitionforjustice.org.
|
|
|
Monitoring and
participating in the activities of the NM Supreme Court Criminal
Justice Task Force, which was created to analyze and suggest solutions
for the challenges currently confronting the entire criminal justice
system.
|
|
|
Monitoring and
participating in the oversight of a statewide criminal justice system
workload study currently underway, which will result in a report that
should detail all the staffing shortfalls in the current system, and
suggest ways of improving performance in the delivery of indigent
defense services.
|
|
