For Some, Free Counsel Comes at a High Cost.
Ken Armstrong and others.
- The Seattle Times, 2004.
- SIRS Enduring Issues 2005. Article 74, Institutions, 1522-3256; .
Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2005. Originally Published: For Some, Free Counsel Comes at a High Cost, April 12, 2004; pp. n.p..
"Four decades ago, in the celebrated case of Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court promised to turn a noble ideal into more than just words. By ruling that defendants too poor to hire their own attorney must be provided one at public expense, the court reaffirmed that all people accused of crime must stand equal before the law. Grant County is Gideon's lie. It is a lie repeated across Washington and America, in systems that try to control costs--sometimes at the expense of justice." (THE SEATTLE TIMES) This article, using the example of public defender Guillermo Romero, highlights the practice of using fixed-fee public-defense contracts and illustrates how they "leave public defenders less time per case, and lead to adversarial breakdowns."
1522-3256;
United States Supreme Court --Decisions
Fixed price contracts Lawyers--Corrupt practices Lawyers--Fees Lawyers--Workload Legal assistance to the poor Public defenders Right to counsel