TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS . . . 4
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE ..............5
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..............................6
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................7
INTRODUCTION .................................10
Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Misdemeanor Courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Volume of Misdemeanor Offenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Rights of Defendants in Misdemeanor Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Right to Counsel in Misdemeanor Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Why Are Lawyers Needed in Misdemeanor Cases? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Consequences of a Misdemeanor Conviction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 PROBLEMS IN MISDEMEANOR COURTS ....................14 Absence of Counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Uninformed Waiver of Counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Eligibility Limitations for Counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Conferring Directly with Prosecutors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Recommendations — Absence of Counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Deterrents to Asking for Counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Application Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Recommendations — Deterrents to Asking for Counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Misdemeanor Caseloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Meaning of the Caseload Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Excessive Caseloads Put Lawyers in Jeopardy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Recommendations — Excessive Caseloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Why Are Misdemeanor Caseloads So High? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Overcriminalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Misdemeanor Indigent Defenders Take Brunt of Budget Shortages . . . . . . . 26
Minor Crimes, Massive Waste
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