Public Defenders
Group Reviewing Indigent Defense in Nevada Stalls over Definition of Criminal Case
A Nevada commission charged with reviewing the state’s defense system for poor defendants is bogged down in a dispute over the definition of criminal cases.
Public defenders and prosecutors differ on how they count cases, and the split has stalled the Indigent Defense Commission, the Reno Gazette-Journal reports. The story cites an example. If three men break into a car, a prosecutor might count that as one case. Defense lawyers might count it as three.
The dispute affects the calculation of current public defender caseloads and recommendations on what they should be. The commission chairman, Justice Michael Cherry, told the newspaper that a subcommittee is charged with resolving questions of definition and should have answers soon.
