A new report from The Wren Collective and the UC Berkeley Law Criminal Law & Justice Center contends that California permits an unconstitutional public defense system to persist through its reliance on flat-fee contracts. The report argues this practice leads to excessive attorney caseloads and contributes to elevated incarceration rates.
The California State Assembly’s Public Safety Committee voted to advance legislation that would require counties to document public defender caseloads, in an effort to address a growing crisis in indigent defense.
AB 690, a bill aimed at ending the use of privatized flat-fee contracts for indigent defense services in California, has passed the Senate Public Safety Committee and now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee, with supporters arguing that it would improve justice outcomes and save counties money over time.