Step three of a five-step state budget process has concluded, and the Commission continues to receive support for its full fiscal years '22-23 budget increase request. The state budget is now being considered in a House/Senate Conference Committee before a final version will be enrolled, likely on April 21, when the General Assembly is expected to conclude its budget process for 2021. The final step will be the Governor's signature or veto.

Considering that many agencies have been required to make cuts based on revenue changes caused by the pandemic, the Commission is grateful to Governor Holcomb and the members of the House and Senate for recognizing the need to fund operations at a level that is projected to preclude the need for any cuts to county reimbursements in the upcoming biennium.

If you have any questions about the Commission's public policy work, please reach out to Andrew Cullen.

The Commission is pleased to present its 2019 to 2020 financial and caseload summary.

Participating counties went from 62 in 2019 to 66 in 2020. There were increases in total reimbursements and median county reimbursement with a slight decrease in the median county expense.

It is interesting to note that there is an average net loss in the total Commission County public defense caseloads of 12%, likely due to a decrease in filings or delayed prosecutions due to the global pandemic. The Commission is cognizant of this drop and is exploring ways to support counties if those caseload numbers increase proportionally in 2021.

Click the button below to view a detailed breakdown of reimbursements by county and a detailed chart explaining the specific caseload changes.

The Commission is very pleased that the first installment of Federal Title IV funds have been secured to assist in providing reimbursements to counties for CHINS/TPR public defense expenses.

Counties do not have to take any additional action for these funds to be delivered. Commission staff calculates each county's eligibility for these funds and requests the reimbursement from the Department of Child Services. Counties then receive two payments, one being these federal pass-through funds. 

From the last two quarters, counties received $582,029.36, half of which is federal funding (because it requires a 50/50 split). So, $291,014.68 federal dollars have gone to counties in the last two quarters. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Jennifer Pinkston or Torrin Liddell.

Counties often ask for clarification regarding the types of expenses that can be paid with the County Public Defense Supplemental Fund.

In our new regular feature, Board Training Spotlight, Commission Staff Attorney Jennifer Shircliff discusses the issue and covers the do's and don'ts of using these funds.

The Indiana University Public Policy Institute recently released a study entitled: "EFFECT OF COVID-19 ON INDIANA JAIL POPULATIONS & OPERATIONS."

Among other findings, the study concluded that during the early stages of the pandemic (February 2020 through April 2020), jails across the country reduced inmate population levels by about 27 percent. The 19 Indiana counties in the sample saw reductions of more than 30 percent.

The Commission's Standards can often be a challenge for counties to comply with, and clarifications can be helpful. 

In another new regular feature in our newsletter, Standards Spotlight, Commission Staff Attorney Andrew Falk delves into the issue of how Standard C defines when a person is eligible for public defense services.