How Wayne County Is Trying to Fix Broken Public Defense System
Wayne County’s Indigent Defense Services Department Director Robin Dillard-Russaw talks about why the current legal framework is failing those who need it most.
Wayne County is one of many places across the country taking steps to address big disparities in our criminal justice system. One of the things it hopes to tackle are the injustices associated with having access to adequate representation in court if you can’t afford an attorney on your own. The right to an attorney regardless of ability to pay is guaranteed under the Constitution. But the systems in place to make sure that happens often fail to meet the most basic standards of justice. That’s why last year, Wayne County established a new office meant to bolster public defense services. The county promises that the office will have a “dramatic impact on how indigent defense services and criminal justice overall will be administered in Wayne County.”
“It matters that [indigent clients] have the same opportunities granted to them that other stakeholders have had.” –Robin Dillard-Russaw, Wayne County’s Indigent Defense Services Department
Listen: Why Wayne County has a new office dedicated to bolstering public defense services.
Guest
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
