Public Defender Programs in the States

According to a federal Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report, every state except Maine has public defenders to provide legal representation for indigent defendants. Connecticut and 21 other states have a state public defender program while the other 28 states have county-based offices. In 2007, state programs spent more than $830 million representing indigent defendants. This accounted for about 14% of state spending on judicial and legal functions. The BJS report compares state programs, including their funding, number of employees and caseloads, agency oversight, and criteria for indigent representation.