03211500 - Committee for Public Counsel Services

Account Description FY2011
Spending
FY2012
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 develop and implement a system in which no less than 25 per cent of indigent defendants shall be represented by public defender by the end of fiscal year 2012; provided further, that the committee shall provide a report to the legislature, no later than September 1, 2011, detailing an implementation plan for meeting the requirements of the previous proviso, that shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) the expected surplus or deficiency for fiscal year 2012 of items 0321-1500 and 0321-1510; (b) the current and projected number of public defenders and private bar advocates assigned to each court house; and (c) any perceived impediments to implementing this plan by the end of fiscal year 2012 and possible solutions to such impediments; provided further, that in hiring public defenders, priority shall be given to current private bar advocates; provided further, that the committee shall submit a report to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on the judiciary and the house and senate committees on ways and means, no later than January 30, 2012, that shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) the number of clients assisted by the committee in the prior fiscal year, delineated by public defender and private bar advocate representation, and further delineated by type of case and geographic location; (b) the average cost for public defender services rendered per client, delineated by type of case and geographic location; (c) the average cost for private bar advocate services rendered per client, delineated by type of case and geographic location; (d) the average number of hours spent per case by public defenders, delineated by type of case and geographic location; (e) the average number of hours billed by private bar advocates, delineated by type of case and geographic location; (f) the total amount of counsel fees paid to the committee by clients for services rendered, delineated by type of case and geographic location; (g) the total of indigent but able to contribute fees paid to the committee by clients for services rendered, delineated by type of case and geographic location; (h) any proposed expansion of legal services delineated by type of service, target population and cost; (i) the total number of persons who received legal services by the committee, by type of case and geographic location; and (j) the costs for services rendered per client, by type of case and geographic location; provided further, that the committee shall submit quarterly reports to the house and senate committees on ways and means starting on October 3, 2011 and ending on June 29, 2012 detailing progress made in providing no less than 25 per cent of indigent defense through public defenders; provided further, that the report shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) the number of public defenders that have been hired to date; (b) the offices and divisions that these public defenders have been assigned to; (c) the total number of cases that have been assigned to these public defenders, delineated by type of case; (d) the total number of cases that have been assigned to all public defenders, delineated by type of case; (e) the number of public defender vacancies to be filled; (f) the total number of support staff, investigators, attorneys in charge and management that have been hired; (g) the number of cases that have been assigned to private bar advocates, delineated by type of case; (h) the total billable hours to date of private bar advocates, delineated by type of case; (i) the billable hours of private bar advocates broken down by: travel time, time spent in court, including wait time and trial preparation time, including interview time, investigating time and research time; (j) the number of private bar advocates that have been hired as public defenders; (k) changes to the private bar advocate billing system; (l) the staffing efficiencies that have been achieved; (m) the billing improvements that have been made; (n) the savings that have been realized from hiring more public defenders; (o) the cost effectiveness of private bar advocates; (p) the number and cost of private investigators used, delineated by firm; (q) the number and cost of psychologists and psychiatrists used, delineated by firm; and (r) the progress of obtaining temporary and permanent office space; and provided further, that this data shall be provided in a cumulative manner, delineated by quarter
32,255,081 45,304,806