The Montana Office of the Public Defender is coming off one of its most tumultuous years since the agency was concentrated from county offices into an obligation of the state.
Editor's note: This story is part of 'Broken Defense,' an investigative series from Lee Enterprises. More details about this project can be found at the bottom of this article.
People are also reading… In its second week, the Montana Legislature this month began digging into the materials that will eventually shape OPD’s ability to carry out its obligation to provide effective representation to people who can’t afford it. Top state agency officials told Lee Newspapers over the past year that workloads assigned to attorneys have mostly disregarded the agency’s own caseload limit by nearly 200%, according to Schandelson. For more than a decade OPD policy has stated that attorneys should take on no more than 125 new cases per month, but the agency never tracked attorney hours, and therefore never abided by that limit policy.
According to the most recent data following Harris’ order, more than 67% of OPD’s unassigned cases in September 2021 were in Yellowstone County, OPD officials told lawmakers. Counties still shared the public defense cost, but the state eventually covered more than its share. Attempts to realign that arrangement was killed by city and county lobbyists during the 2019 Legislature.
An investigator with the office created a memo detailing the recantation, but Schandelson told Lee Newspapers it’s unclear what happened to the document. At the time, Yellowstone County Office was taking on twice as many cases as it could handle, and Jefferson-Dust’s attorney was days from retirement.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
TikTok Star Montana Tucker Expands Reach of Moving Holocaust Doc Via YouTubeJan. 27 marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day designated by the United Nations to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on Jan. 27, 1945 and honor the six million Jews and…
Read more »
Woman wanted in Jacksonville Beach for exploitation of the elderly arrested in MontanaA 52-year-old woman wanted in Jacksonville Beach for exploitation of the elderly was found in Missoula, Montana.
Read more »
1923 Star Teases Spencer & Alexandra's Harrowing Journey To MontanaSpencer and Alex will have a harrowing journey back to Montana when 1923TV returns on February 5. 'Spencer and Alexandra are challenged in a very serious way, pretty relentlessly, throughout the journey. They’re constantly tested...'
Read more »
Clevelanders For Public Transit Challenge City, Cuyahoga County Leaders: Go Carless for a WeekThe seven-day test coincides with a rally on Public Square and calls for better funding for transit
Read more »
Tyre Nichols arrest video release could spark 'very serious public reaction,' Shelby County DA saysTyre Nichols was restrained, beaten, blasted with a Taser and pepper sprayed by officers after a traffic stop before he died from his injuries, family members say.
Read more »