Public Defense System Challenged by Flood of Cases, Lack of Funds. Ken Armstrong and Justin Mayo.
by Armstrong, Ken; ProQuest Information and Learning Company.
Series: SIRS Enduring Issues 2005Article 74Institutions. Publisher: The Seattle Times, 2004ISSN: 1522-3256;.Subject(s): Fixed price contracts | Lawyers -- Fees | Lawyers -- Workload | Legal assistance to the poor | Public defenders | Right to counsel | Washington (State)DDC classification: 050 Summary: "Lisa Tabbut is a public defender in Washington's Cowlitz County. This was the workload she juggled in 2002: Dependency cases: 276. Juvenile-offender cases: 295. Criminal appeals: 16. What is too much? Caseload limits endorsed by the Washington State Bar Association help draw the line. The guidelines amount to accepted standards of practice--the way things should be, if justice is to be served. In 2002, Lisa Tabbut's caseload was 6 1/2 times the accepted standard. The dependency cases alone, which include the defense of parents fighting to keep their children in the face of neglect or abuse allegations, demanded more than she could give." (THE SEATTLE TIMES) This article examines Lisa Tabbut's caseload and suggests that "Tabbut's dilemma is repeated again and again, in courts through Washington--and America--as public defenders labor to keep up with stunning caseloads."| Item type | Current location | Call number | Status | Date due |
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High School - old - to delete | REF SIRS 2005 Institutions Article 74 (Browse shelf) | Available |
Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2005.
Originally Published: Public Defense System Challenged by Flood of Cases, Lack of Funds, April 12, 2004; pp. n.p..
"Lisa Tabbut is a public defender in Washington's Cowlitz County. This was the workload she juggled in 2002: Dependency cases: 276. Juvenile-offender cases: 295. Criminal appeals: 16. What is too much? Caseload limits endorsed by the Washington State Bar Association help draw the line. The guidelines amount to accepted standards of practice--the way things should be, if justice is to be served. In 2002, Lisa Tabbut's caseload was 6 1/2 times the accepted standard. The dependency cases alone, which include the defense of parents fighting to keep their children in the face of neglect or abuse allegations, demanded more than she could give." (THE SEATTLE TIMES) This article examines Lisa Tabbut's caseload and suggests that "Tabbut's dilemma is repeated again and again, in courts through Washington--and America--as public defenders labor to keep up with stunning caseloads."
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