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Indigent Defense in San Antonio

By Steve Hall

Today's San Antonio Express-News reports, "Bexar task force to examine indigent defense."  It's written by Brian Chasnoff. Responding to a proposal by Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, commissioners agreed Wednesday to form an independent task force to explore best practices for providing indigent defense, the costs of which have risen millions of dollars in the past decade. ?We could collectively appoint the task force,? Wolff said, noting the growth of public defender offices in other Texas counties. Jim Bethke, director of the state's Task Force on Indigent Defense, told commissioners at the meeting that he would offer resources and guidance to the nascent county task force. Officials recently began scrutinizing the issue after the state task force found a small number of attorneys received a large percentage of court-appointed cases last year, the result of erratic appointment methods in the courts...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on December 09, 2010 (boomark / email).