About that last blog....

I've been told that my last blog may have been a little harsh on the client for not showing up in court. While I still think he should've been there, I will try to offer the other side of the story, because it reflects on what it means to be a public defender.

Our clients come to the public defender because they can't afford private counsel. They have no job, or a low-paying job, or they receive some sort of government support. At any rate, they don't have alarm clocks. They don't have palm pilots. They may not have calendars or Outlook. They may have three kids to feed, and all that matters is finding that next meal. Court dates, arraignments, plea bargains -- these are all of secondary (tertiary?) concern to them. How can we expect them to go to court on time when they may not be able to pay for the parking downtown?

The bottom line is that they don't know how to make wise choices, because if they did, they probably wouldn't need us in the first place. If a guy breaks into a house to steal things and then tries to flee from the cops, how are we going to expect him to make the sound decision of showing up in court on time? He's got other issues.

The type of people who would prioritize showing up in court on time are the type of people with jobs and decent incomes. I won't be seeing any of them this summer.