Public Defenders See Funding Hike As Positive Step

From The Charlottesville (Virginia) Daily Progress:

Ranked dead last in the nation for compensation for court-appointed attorneys, Virginia has a long way to go in improving its indigent defense system.

But lawyers defending poor people in court have seen improvements this year, and advocates believe the strides are a sign of good things to come.

“This was a banner year for indigent defense,” said Jim Hingeley, local public defender and chairman of the Virginia Fair Trial Project, which seeks to educate the public about what it considers the under-funding of the state’s indigent defense system.

Hingeley is referring to $8.2 million the General Assembly approved that will allow lawyers to apply for a waiver to caps on their fees.

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