re: Public Defenders Hard To Come By In Louisiana

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, but throwing money at the problem isn't a solution.

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Hiring more attorneys = less cases per attorney = cases move quicker through the system

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better bail/

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for sure

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programs from drug offenses (although a lot of jursidictions have been doing great work over the past 20 years or so of this).

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Drug court and PTD do good work, though the bulk of the funding from the latter(if not all?) stays in the DA's office.

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Most DAs are Democrat trial lawyers, too,

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Not around Acadiana

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But, "not coddling" the criminal element is not the same as trampling on their rights, either.

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Adequate, or at the very least, timely representation is not coddling.

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Making a Murderer

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Investigation Discovery also did a piece on this that makes a compelling argument that he's actually guilty.

Watch both sides because this documentary isn't all you may believe it to be.

You'd be surprised how much their families will come up with.

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It's not even close to the same thing.

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I'm not going to argue with you about it - litigation files are pretty dense, regardless of the field. I couldn't clear 30 cases a week, but I wasn't assigned 30 cases a week, either - more like 5.

But, time exposure on a civil litigation case is way different from criminal, too. You get a criminal case on a Thursday, some PD shops send you a lawyer just to do arraignments, others want to assign a lawyer all the way through.

So, you get arraigned on a Friday - the vast majority of PD cases are possession with intent, disclosure takes a month or three - then you plea the thing. That's the business. It isn't pleasant - it isn't life affirming and maybe that's why they can't get enough lawyers to do it.

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I'm also doubting your 200 number, especially without more clarification.

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That was all in - I wasn't the primary on all 200, and that was mostly auto accidents, but some WC, products liability and med mal. 80 to 100 active at any one time, but a case didn't typically clear for 6 months - probably closed 5 and opened 5 per week. I'm spitballing because that was a long time ago - pre-electronic filing in state court, certainly.

I worked in the criminal justice system for 20 years and always heard people say "the system is racist!" bullshite. Our criminal justice system is two tiered based on financial resources. Period. The people with cash hire the best defense attorneys (most of whom used to work with or play golf / drink with the ADA's) and they get good outcomes. The other poor saps get a PD who may or may not open their case file until the week of trial.

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I had 200 cases open when I had an active practice - it's a lot but doable -and she's making a shite ton more than I was at the time.

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Want to eliminate civil asset forfeitures? Pass a law requiring all proceeds to go to public defenders. That shite will stop dead in its tracks.

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Do you believe in the presumption of innocence in this country?

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Of course I do. However, I don't ignore powerful evidence, even if circumstantial.

I also think the "Prison-Industrial Complex" is a thing. I indicated in the thread I'm for ending the War on Drugs(tm).

However, that doesn't mean I'm a bleeding heart liberal, either.

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Sad day when ensuring the Sixth Amendment is followed makes one a bleeding heart liberal.

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The Sixth Amendment does not guarantee you F. Lee Bailey for your minor drug possession charge.

Is that really what's being argued here?