Reports

California was once the nation’s leader in public defense, home to the first ever public defender’s office, decades before Gideon v. Wainwright. Today, the state is in the midst of a public defense crisis and a main cause is the reliance on “flat-fee” contracts with for-profit private attorneys and firms, where lawyers are paid a set…

In “Gideon at Sixty: Advancing the Right to Counsel for Kids in Cuyahoga County,” Wren investigated juvenile defense in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.  ​Wren recommends that the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court appoint the public defender to represent all children facing delinquency charges, and that the public defender, rather than the court, determine when assigned counsel is needed.…

In “Gideon at Sixty: How the Cuyahoga County Jail Stifles the Right to Counsel,” Wren investigated the state of visitation at Cuyahoga County Jail. Wren recommends that the Cuyahoga County Jail bring back in-person visitation and cut off the prosecutor’s access to Securus’s surveillance. Both reforms would meaningfully improve the right to counsel for people who cannot afford…

In “Death by Design” Parts 1 and 2, Wren investigated the state of court-appointed capital representation in Harris County—the death penalty capital of the world.  The first report delves into the failings of the lawyers in capital cases. The second report examines why that poor representation has thrived, and the ways that the judges overseeing…

In “Under-resourced And Ignored: Indigent Defense in Schuylkill County,” Wren investigated indigent defense in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The report found major deficiencies, which are likely replicated across rural Pennsylvania and rural America. The report calls for Schuylkill County to provide funding to its public defender office so that it can meet its constitutional obligations. Wren…

In “Restoring and Rebuilding: Indigent Defense in Gwinnett County,” Wren investigated indigent defense in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The report found that lawyers have excessive caseloads that prevent them from providing effective representation. Wren recommends that the county establish a central Indigent Defense Office that will assist the county with attorney recruitment and retention, ongoing county-sponsored…

In “Sixty Years After Gideon: Indigent Defense in Nueces County,” Wren investigated indigent defense in Nueces County, Texas. The report found major problems with the County’s appointed attorney system. Court appointed lawyers are paid meager flat fees for cases at a rate so low lawyers cannot possibly do meaningful work for their clients. Wren recommends first…