Families of Prisoners Support Group

This community is dedicated to families that have been disrupted by prison. Having a loved one incarcerated or having been incarcerated comes with its own unique challenges that require support and understanding. Join the group to find others who know what you're going through, and to seek advice or share your experience.

1,470 Members
7,146 Posts
0 Online
Relationships & Sexuality
/ Families of Prisoners Support Group

Public Defenders in America

rewdiazepam
rewdiazepam
It is sad that in the United States we have so much disdain for our citizens who have been arrested and only alleged to have committed a crime that we throw them to the wolves.

I know there are indeed some capable PDs, but when they are so overworked, they cannot do justice to any one case.

You will laugh a little at this video, but this is very tragic.

http://tinyurl.com/q7axqpj

rewdiazepam
MistyU
MistyU
Yes, its true, tragic, and it was funny. Wonder why ordinary citizens can see how broken the system is, and those who can do something about it don't seem to notice.
ihatewisconsin
ihatewisconsin
Yes they have too many clients, but from our experience they pretty much put no time or effort in any of their clients cases. We had one that even got my fiance's name and charges wrong. The last time he went, he wouldn't answer our calls, he wouldn't respond in any way. So when he got to court and stood before the judge, the judge asked him the standard question, " has your attorney explained the charges to you and what your rights are, and what your choices are?" My fiance responded, " no your honor, never hear from him, haven't been explained anything and I want a continuance to find someone that does give a damn". The PD looked embarrassed and pissed, and the judge gave them 3 whole minutes to talk to the side of the room. Not 10 minutes, not an hour... 3 damn minutes.

Sure they have toooo many clients, but they sure don't scoff at the paychecks they get from taxpayer money, which we all are.

When is it time for people to fight back? And how can we?

We are told PD's are free, but then you have to sign a slip saying you will pay them a small fee. But usually I don't know what happens to that, unless it is put into the court costs and RESTITUTION, we never saw a bill.

Restitution is another funny word. What does it mean? In cases of property damage, sure, you wreck something that don't belong to you, you don't pay. If you hurt someone you pay medical costs and loss of wages. But in a probation violation for simply leaving the state without permission and driving without a license, what costs did that bring??? Oh I forgot, the time that it took the cop to arrest them. Ooops, they would get paid if they sat on the side of the road sleeping, pretending to be watching traffic, right?

The whole system is whacked and we have no way to fix it because they set it up like that.

If I were married to a public defender, I would not tell anyone. I would be ashamed. Sure they have to stand up for their husbands or wives, but SO DO WE!
brendabell
brendabell
This is why we call them Public Pretenders!
59518577dbf
59518577dbf
1000 cases a year now that is a crime. On a lighter note the comment on corn holders was pretty funny.
ladyhathaway
ladyhathaway
System is broken - the public defender my husband has does not seem to care and only want him to plea out. I looked for a private lawyer but I cannot even afford the retainer fee without leaving my job and using my 401K money. So sad.
ihatewisconsin
ihatewisconsin
The terrible part is, when arrested part of the miranda thing says " If you can't afford a lawyer, one will be provided to you". It doesn't say they will be worthless, they will just hurry you through the court system, to get rid of your case and onto the next poor person that is stuck with them. That their job is NOT to defend you and give you a chance. It is only to get their paycheck and make it look like the state is doing what they are legally supposed to do. It does not say that they will ill advise you to admit to things you should never admit to. It does not say that this person is using his job as a stepping stone to the DA's office, or better. It does not say that this person appointed to you does not give a damn about you, he is not advising you in your best interests and basically you will be screwed.