HREI program looks at public defender system

The Human Rights Education Institute and the ACLU of Idaho are partnering to examine the role of the public defender in the criminal justice system.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, the institute will offer a free screening of the Sundance award-winning documentary “Gideon’s Army,” which premieres on HBO later this year. The film follows three young public defenders who are part of a small group of idealistic lawyers in the Deep South, challenging assumptions amidst a criminal justice system strained to the breaking point.

Coeur d’Alene has the distinction of being one of the first cities to screen this film.

A question-and-answer session featuring Kootenai County Chief Public Defender John Adams and retired Judge James R. Michaud will follow the screening of the movie. The two will discuss the state of the public defense system in Idaho, including a recent development by the Idaho legislature to appoint an interim committee to study the system over the summer. The interim committee will make recommendations to be considered in next year’s legislative session.

Mr. Adams has been the head of the public defender’s office in Kootenai County for 17 years, earning praise for his work, including the high-profile defense of child killer Joseph Duncan. On March 26 he was terminated by Kootenai County commissioners, a decision that was strongly criticized by groups, including the ACLU of Idaho, and which was rescinded a week later.

Over the course of a long career, Judge Michaud served as judge for the First Judicial District, out of Sandpoint, and as Senior District Judge for the state of Idaho.

“We all know that a healthy public defense system is essential for fairness in the justice system,” Human Rights Education Institute Executive Director Thomas Carter said. “I expect that the evening will help the community build a dialogue around some of the challenges facing our system.”

Lending timeliness to the screening and the issue of public defense is that this past March marks 50 years since the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in Gideon v. Wainwright. In that decision, the Court announced that “lawyers in criminal courts are necessities, not luxuries.” Thereafter, state courts were required to appoint an attorney in criminal cases to aid indigent defendants if they could not afford one.

The event is free and open to all.

Info: 292-2359