Kootenai County cases stall as public defender shortage takes hold
Since the office of the State Public Defender went into effect Oct. 1, North Idaho has faced a shortage of public defenders.
KAYE THORNBRUGH/Press
COEUR d’ALENE — As a shortage of public defenders continues to strain North Idaho’s legal system, Kootenai County’s top public defender says there’s no end in sight.
Public defense services in Idaho’s 44 counties were recently consolidated into the office of the State Public Defender. Though the new system was created in response to lawsuits over Idaho’s deficiencies in public defense, it has led to an exodus of public defenders from county offices and numerous indigent defendants appearing in court without any specific attorney prepared to represent them.
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