 We're excited to have you join us for our Annual Training Sessions, held virtually tomorrow and Friday! (October 22 and October 23).
If you have any last minute questions, email us at information@pdcom.in.gov or give us a call at 317-233-6908. We look forward to seeing you all online!
Based on the economic conditions created by the pandemic, the 2021 Budget Session of the Indiana General Assembly is expected to be very challenging. Most Executive Branch Agencies have been instructed to cut their budget requests by 15%. That's why the Commission recently voted to approve an abbreviated legislative agenda for the upcoming session. The agenda will a focus on achieving a budget that will prevent proration to counties.
The Commission may also support other efforts (including permitting Misdemeanor reimbursement), but we know Indiana's budget situation will require us to focus on base budget funding. If you are willing to help the Commission by contacting your legislators, please contact Andrew Cullen.
Indianapolis Attorney Mark W. Rutherford was unanimously re-elected Chair of the Commission for a 2-year term at the most recent meeting. He has chaired the Commission since 2007 and has served as a Gubernatorial appointment to the Commission under three separate Governors.
During his time as chair, the Commission’s standards and reimbursement program has grown from 53 to 64 counties, and the Commission has been able to fully fund county reimbursement requests since 2009.
Click here to read what Commission Members Rep. Ryan Dvorak and Sen. Eric Koch had to say about Mark's leadership.
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Two key state criminal justice committees have expressed support for the Commission's policy goals via official action in recent months.
The General Assembly's Interim Study Committee on Corrections and Criminal Code endorsed an increase to the Public Defense Fund at its October Meeting. Commission Senior Staff Attorney Derrick Mason testified before the Committee. We are also grateful to Commission Member Bernice Corley (also a member of the Interim Study Committee) for assisting in this endorsement.
Additionally, the Justice Reinvestment Advisory Committee (JRAC) recently endorsed permitting reimbursement of misdemeanors in the upcoming legislative session. The Commission is represented on JRAC by Chair Mark Rutherford, and Commission Member Bernice Corley also sits on JRAC.
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The Commission held its quarterly meeting on September 23. Click here to read the DRAFT minutes from the meeting.
The next Commission meeting will be December 16 at 2 p.m. The meeting will be held both in person at the Commission Office and also on Zoom. An agenda and Zoom Link will be distributed at a later date.
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The Commission appointed three new members to County Public Defender Boards at its recent meeting. We welcome William Smith (Decatur County); Leah Taylor (Owen County) and Susan Corbin (Orange County). The Commission Chair also recently made an emergency appointment to the newly-created board in Harrison County, which will be effective until the next Commission meeting. Welcome to Maryland Austin.
At the December meeting, the Commission will be making 3-year appointments for seats on the board for the following counties: Harrison, Hendricks, LaPorte, Perry, Ripley, Rush, and Washington. If you have any nominations for any of these boards, please contact Andrew Cullen with the Commission.
The Commission's training focused on Indiana public defender boards launched on September 3, 2020 in Sullivan County. The training covers multiple topics including the right to counsel, statutory obligations for public defender boards, Indiana’s Open Door Law, the Commission’s Standards, and the various methods counties can utilize to administer public defense services. To date, three counties have completed training, while several others are currently on the schedule. The Commission would like to have all county trainings completed prior to December 16, 2020, the date of the next Commission meeting.
Keep in mind, you are welcome to team up with other counties and complete your training conjunctively. Due to Indiana’s current surge in COVID-19 cases, we are asking that all remaining trainings proceed in a virtual format.
If your county is not listed below, please email Jennifer Shircliff or call her at (317) 650-0393 to get on the calendar ASAP.
Completed: Cass, Sullivan, Vermillion
Scheduled: Decatur, DeKalb, Floyd, Fulton, Jefferson, Lake, Marion, Parke
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The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants and Crowe LLP worked collaboratively to analyze Indiana's public defense workload standards on the Commission's behalf.
The analysis consisted of two main phases: (1) the application a survey process to identify the average amount of time an attorney should spend providing representation in certain types of cases to provide reasonably effective assistance of
counsel pursuant to prevailing professional norms; and (2) an analysis of the historical caseloads for public defense in Indiana.
Click here to read the study!
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- Third Quarter 2020 (July 1 - September 30)
Due: November 14, 2020
- Fourth Quarter 2020 (October 1 - December 31)
Due: February 14, 2021
- First Quarter 2021 (Jan 1 - March 31)
Due: May 15, 2021
- Second Quarter 2021 (April 1 - June 30)
Due: August 14, 2021
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