Legal-Aid Crisis Thousands of people each day are being denied a basic right in turn causing several safety concerns, unemployment, and decreasing the efficiency of the courtroom. This is better known as the legal-aid crisis. Several people are being declined for pro bono legal help because the case loads for public defenders is too much to handle. This is an issue that is not necessarily easy to fix but if the qualified members pitch in and provide assistance it will be one step closer to being solved. To solve these issues surrounding the legal aid crisis, private firm lawyers should be required to volunteer free legal assistance for those who are unable to afford it and government funding should be increased.
Background
To fully understand …show more content…
Studies show that lower income people commit more crimes, besides white collar, than any other socio-economic class (Ogletree 1). Due to the increased poverty rates public defenders are having to take on higher caseloads now more than ever, “they can have as many as one hundred cases at a time” (Cummings 2). This often times allow for little to no actual face time with the public defender which means they might not be as knowledgeable about some cases as they should be. They try to be more efficient with their time to help as many people as possible this often leads to cases resulting in plea bargains. For the most part this is the safest and most efficient bet, however, if your case is better off to be handled with a trial you chances of receiving one decrease. At the same time, public defenders work with the judges several times a day so they know their mannerism which can be extremely useful in any case. They handled so many cases at once that they become very experienced very quickly. Public defenders do their best to be as helpful and efficient to as many people as possible but large caseloads can alter their ultimate
Background
To fully understand …show more content…
Studies show that lower income people commit more crimes, besides white collar, than any other socio-economic class (Ogletree 1). Due to the increased poverty rates public defenders are having to take on higher caseloads now more than ever, “they can have as many as one hundred cases at a time” (Cummings 2). This often times allow for little to no actual face time with the public defender which means they might not be as knowledgeable about some cases as they should be. They try to be more efficient with their time to help as many people as possible this often leads to cases resulting in plea bargains. For the most part this is the safest and most efficient bet, however, if your case is better off to be handled with a trial you chances of receiving one decrease. At the same time, public defenders work with the judges several times a day so they know their mannerism which can be extremely useful in any case. They handled so many cases at once that they become very experienced very quickly. Public defenders do their best to be as helpful and efficient to as many people as possible but large caseloads can alter their ultimate