03211500 - Committee for Public Counsel Services

Account Description FY2015
Spending
FY2016
GAA
0321-1500 Committee for Public Counsel Services
For the operation of the committee for public counsel services as authorized by chapter 211D of the General Laws; provided, that the committee shall maintain a system in which not less than 25 per cent of indigent clients shall be represented by public defenders; provided further, that to the extent feasible, the committee shall assign public defenders to district and superior courts; provided further, that the committee shall approve by majority vote any increase in the base salary or rate of compensation for employees holding management positions, including, but not limited to, chiefs, deputy chiefs, directors, assistant directors, and managers; provided further, that the committee shall submit quarterly reports to the house and senate committees on ways and means starting on September 30, 2015 in a cumulative manner and compared with data from the current quarter to the previous 3 quarters and data from fiscal years 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015; and provided further, that these reports shall include, but not be limited to, the following, which shall be delineated by type of case, courthouse, and geographic location: (a) the number of cases handled by the committee in each month, delineated by public defender and private bar advocate; (b) the caseload of attorneys in charge compared to the caseload of public defender staff attorneys; (c) the total number of cases that have been assigned to all new public defenders, by division since the start of fiscal year 2012; (d) the average number of hours spent per case by public defenders; (e) the number of cases that have been assigned to private bar advocates, delineated by division since the start of fiscal year 2012; (f) the average number of hours billed by private bar advocates; (g) the number of public defenders currently employed by the committee and the total number employed by the committee at the end of each fiscal year starting in fiscal year 2012, delineated by division; (h) the current number of private bar advocates assigned to each division; (i) the number of public defenders hired over the previous 51 months that have not been assigned to district or superior court and the reason for their division assignments; (j) the number of public defender vacancies to be filled; (k) the average cost for public defender services rendered per case in the prior fiscal year; (l) the total number of support staff, investigators, attorneys in charge, and management personnel currently employed by the committee and the total number employed by the committee at the end of each fiscal year starting in fiscal year 2012; (m) the number, cost, and cost per hour of psychologists and psychiatrists used by public defenders; (n) the average cost for private bar advocate services rendered per client; (o) the billable hours of private bar advocates broken down by travel time, time spent in court and courthouse, including wait time and trial preparation time, including interview time, investigating time, and research time; (p) the number, cost, and cost per hour of psychologists and psychiatrists used by private bar advocates, delineated by firm; (q) the number and cost of private investigators used, delineated by firm; (r) changes to the private bar advocate billing system; (s) the billing improvements that have been made; (t) the current percentage of indigent defendants represented by public defenders by division and courthouse; (u) the staffing efficiencies that have been achieved; (v) any perceived impediments to the maintenance of the expansion plan and possible solutions to such impediments; and (w) any proposed expansion of legal services, delineated by type of service, target population, and cost
27,091,182 28,591,182