Public defenders seek more money, cite case jump

From the Salem News:

The group of attorneys providing public defender service for Columbiana County asked for more money Wednesday, citing increased caseloads as the reason for the request.

Attorney Fred Naragon, president of the Criminal Defense Company, told commissioners they would need an additional $75,000 for next year’s contract so he can hire another attorney and increase the pay for the attorneys already working.

For the past three years, he said the one-year contract has remained at $367,195, but the caseload has continued to rise, going from more than 500 cases pending in a year to nearly 1,000 cases pending.

The additional funding would bring the total to $442,195.

“I don’t think it’s unreasonable,” Naragon said.

Naragon led a group of attorneys several years ago who decided to form a non-profit group to provide the county with assigned counsel to represent indigent defendants.

By law, the county has to provide an attorney for criminal defendants who can’t afford to pay for their own counsel.

The attorneys with the CDC work on an independent contractor basis, with each one paid a flat fee for the year based on the type of cases they handle.

The county pays the CDC a flat fee which is used to pay the attorneys. Naragon said about $9,000 of the total covers the cost for clerical work required by the state, with the rest paid to the nine attorneys.

The county used to have a public defenders’ office, which cost the county for equipment, a building, employee salaries and benefits. When the county closed the office, court-appointed attorneys charged the county an hourly rate, with the cost at $50 an hour for in-court work and $40 an hour for out-of-court work.

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