Harris County signals support for adding courts, public defenders
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez speaks at a press conference during the Gun Buyback campaign at Alexander Deussen Park on February 18, 2023 in Houston, Texas.
While supporting the resolution, Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis acknowledged adding more courts is not a solution on its own. Harris County spent $60 million on court-appointed lawyers with big caseloads. Critics call it a waste. "In order to get to 50 percent, they would need to both raise their caseload limits and expand hugely the number of people working there," McCann said."They would need additional space, computers, cars, additional investigators, additional support staff. You're looking at an enormous increase in the public defender budget."
Bunin added the public defender's office also provides services that private attorneys do not, such as representing defendants at their initial bail hearings, providing immigration consultations and helping to clear people's records through expunctions.
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