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| Contra Costa County changed its ways; public defenders are now present for initial arraignments |
| By insidebayarea.com - Malaika Fraley |
| Published: 02/11/2013 |
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CALIFORNIA - MARTINEZ -- Public defense attorneys are now staffing felony arraignment courtrooms in Contra Costa County, where the prior absence of such attorneys spurred a federal class action lawsuit. Contra Costa County's former practice -- not uncommon in cash-strapped and rural counties in the nation -- was to assign defense attorneys to indigent criminal defendants after their initial court appearance. That meant that people who couldn't afford bail would sit in jail for up to two weeks before a public attorney would appear at their side in court. Public Defender Robin Lipetzky said that the office had been fighting for money to have deputy public defenders appear at arraignments long before a local attorney in December filed suit in U.S. District Court in Oakland to force the issue. The lawsuit seeks damages for allegedly violating defendants' Sixth Amendment right to counsel. The funding came through last month when the board of supervisors approved a spending plan for $20.7 million in state prison realignment money the county received to incarcerate and supervise low-level felons who before the passage of Assembly Bill 109 would likely have ended up in state prison. Read More. |
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