This is not the official budget document.

Budget Summary FY2018

Search for line item

Go

03211500 - Committee for Public Counsel Services
Data Current as of:  12/6/2017





Account Description FY2017
Spending
FY2018
GAA
0321-1500 Committee for Public Counsel Services
For the operation of the committee for public counsel services under chapter 211D of the General Laws including, but not limited to, payroll costs of the committee's public defenders, attorneys in charge and appeals attorneys, including fringe benefit costs; provided, that the committee shall maintain a system in which not less than 20 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 reports to the house and senate committees on ways and means on November 1, 2017 and March 1, 2018 in a cumulative manner and compared with data from the current period to the previous 3 fiscal years; and provided further, that these reports shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the caseload of attorneys in charge compared to the caseload of public defenders; (ii) the number of cases handled by the committee in each month, delineated by public defender and private bar advocate; (iii) the current percentage of indigent defendants represented by public defenders, delineated by division and courthouse; (iv) the progress made to reach the 20 per cent representation mandate assigned to public defender staff attorneys; (v) the average number of hours spent per case by public defenders; (vi) 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, delineated by division; (vii) the number of public defender vacancies to be filled; (viii) the average cost for public defender services rendered per case in the prior fiscal year; (ix) the number of cases assigned to private bar advocates; (x) the average number of hours billed by private bar advocates; (xi) the average cost for private bar advocate services rendered per case in the prior fiscal year; (xii) the billable hours of private counsel, delineated by travel time and time spent in court, including wait time and trial preparation time, including interview time, investigating time and research time; (xiii) any changes to the private bar billing system and any billing improvements that have been made; (xiv) 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 for the previous 3 fiscal years; (xv) a summary of all spending for psychologists, psychiatrists and investigators with the total number of hours billed, the number of unique vendors and the average number of hours billed; and (xvi) the staffing efficiencies that have been achieved
28,485,815 58,896,644