Kentucky’s chief public defender says his department is overstretched and needs more funding from the state. He says savings could come from reducing the state’s jail population.
Ed Monahan is the head of the Department of Public Advocacy, which represents accused criminals who can’t afford a lawyer. He says that statewide, public defenders make less than prosecutors—their average salary is about $58,000."It’s not enough for me to attract or retain the kind of people that we need." he said, "We need help with salaries.”
To pay for higher salaries, Monahan suggests that the state cut costs in its jails and prisons. He wants alternative sentencing programs that rehabilitate criminals in the community instead of prison and to avoid incarcerating low-risk inmates longer than necessary.
He also suggests reducing the number of cases in the system by reclassifying low-level misdemeanors as violations.
Attorneys in the statewide defender program average 472 new clients each year, not including cases that carry over from previous years.
