Neither the Supreme Court, nor any other source, has detailed how communities should determine who can afford counsel and who cannot. This report presents information about best practices for determining financial eligibility for free counsel. The report gathers, in one place, existing standards and procedures, relevant judicial precedent, and the specific views of many defenders in communities around the country.
In an article published in The Nation, Emily Jane Goodman, a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, discusses the negative implications of the fees imposed on criminal offenders nationwide.
In 2008 Community Oriented Defender Network ("COD") and the American Council of Chief Defenders ("ACCD") convened this conference. Over 50 individuals from over 20 public defender offices came to New York City to attend the two-day training book-ended by a one day COD planning meeting and a one day ACCD business meeting.
