Courts-appointed private counsel systematically underprepared criminal defenses.

Evidence

The states had three options in responding to their obligation to provide counsel for indigent defendants: they could establish offices of governmentemployed defense attorneys, or public defenders; pay private attorneys on a case-by-case basis to represent defendants; or contract with attorneys or firms to supply legal counsel in a large number of cases. The second approach has not worked well, because the rates that governments have paid have not been high enough to attract many good lawyers. … Indeed, a study of homicide cases in New York City found that, in a third of the cases, court-appointed lawyers spent less than a week preparing the case. … Many jurisdictions have therefore chosen the first approach: to employ public defenders to handle criminal defense. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 723

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Capital verdicts are often reversed due to inadequate counsel and condemned innocents — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 2050; Unequal legal representation raises the risk of convicting the innocent. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 722; Governments employ public defenders because appointed and contract counsel systems fail. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 723 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Unequal legal representation raises the risk of convicting the innocent. #corroborates (0.90) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 722
• Capital verdicts are often reversed due to inadequate counsel and condemned innocents #expands (0.85) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 2050