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Public Defense

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Research Brief
The Impact of Defense Counsel at Bail Hearings
Roughly half of U.S. counties do not provide defense counsel at bail hearings. An experiment shows that providing counsel can decrease the use of monetary bail and pretrial detention. But having a public defender at the bail hearing did result in a short-term increase in rearrests on theft charges.
Jun 30, 2023
Report
National Public Defense Workload Study
When public defenders have excessive workloads, they are forced to prioritize some cases over others. This inevitably causes harm. How might caseload limits help these lawyers better serve their clients—and help the justice system better serve all those who rely on it?
Sep 12, 2023

Explore Public Defense

Report
Identifying Research Needs to Support Fair and Equitable Public Defense in the United States
The systems that provide counsel for indigent defendants vary considerably across states, localities, and judicial jurisdictions. Researchers identified information gaps or research priorities that, if addressed, could advance knowledge around effective public defense strategies.
Aug 30, 2023
Research Brief
Diversion Instead of Courts: Improving Outcomes for People Arrested for Low-Level Crimes
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office invested $7.76 million in Project Reset, a program to divert adults arrested for low-level crimes into community-based support programs and out of the court system. Among the key findings were improved arrest outcomes for participants and no increase in rearrests.
May 16, 2023
Report
A Process and Outcome Evaluation of Project Reset
In this report, RAND researchers share results of a process and outcome evaluation of Project Reset, a program that diverts adults arrested for low-level crimes into community-based support programs and out of the court system.
May 16, 2023
Journal Article
The Impact of Defense Counsel at Bail Hearings
Roughly half of U.S. counties do not provide defense counsel at bail hearings, and few studies have documented the potential impacts of legal representation at this stage.
May 11, 2023
News Release
Providing Legal Counsel at Initial Bail Hearings Reduces Use of Cash Bail, Lowers Incarceration
Providing defendants with legal counsel during their initial bail hearing decreases use of monetary bail and pretrial detention, without increasing the likelihood that defendants fail to appear at the subsequent preliminary hearing.
May 5, 2023
Report
Provisional Caseload Standards for the Indigent Defense of Adult Criminal and Juvenile Delinquency Cases in Utah: Report for the Utah Indigent Defense Commission
The Utah Indigent Defense Commission asked the RAND Corporation for assistance in determining maximum caseload standards for providers of indigent legal representation in Utah. The authors present data and analysis.
Apr 28, 2021
Report
Caseload Standards for Indigent Defenders in Michigan: Final Project Report for the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission
The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC) asked the RAND Corporation for assistance in determining maximum caseload standards for providers of indigent legal representation to adult defendants in Michigan. The authors present data and analysis.
Aug 26, 2019
Journal Article
The Effects of Holistic Defense on Criminal Justice Outcomes
Using administrative data covering over half a million cases and a quasi-experimental research design, we estimate the causal effect of holistic defense on case outcomes and future offending.
Jan 29, 2019
Research Brief
Holistic Representation Can Reduce Incarceration and Save Taxpayer Dollars
A public defense model that seeks to address the underlying challenges and needs of poor offenders prevented more than 1 million days of incarceration over 10 years, without reducing public safety.
Jan 11, 2019
Journal Article
How Much Difference Does the Lawyer Make in Philadelphia Murder Cases?
One in five indigent murder defendants in Philadelphia are randomly assigned representation by public defenders while the remainder receive court-appointed private attorneys. Compared to appointed counsel, public defenders in Philadelphia reduce their clients' murder conviction rate by 19%, lower the probability of a life sentence by 62%, and reduce overall expected time served in prison by 24%.
Oct 1, 2012
Report
Case Weights for Federal Defender Organizations
This report presents a system of case weights for estimating the funding and staffing requirements of federal defender organizations, discusses factors that might influence defender time expenditures, and describes how such weights should be used.
Aug 18, 2011
Report
Indicators of Justice: Measuring the Performance of Prosecution, Defense, and Court Agencies Involved in Felony Proceedings: Analysis and Demonstration
The second of two volumes presenting the results of an 18-month study of the use of statistical performance measures in the context of felony proceedings.
Dec 31, 1975
Report
Indicators of Justice: Measuring the Performance of Prosecution, Defense, and Court Agencies Involved in Felony Proceedings: A Guide to Practitioners
The first of two volumes presenting the results of an 18-month study of the use of statistical performance measures in the context of felony proceedings.
Dec 31, 1975

RAND Topic:
Public Defense

Topic Synonyms:
Indigent Defense

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