What others are saying
What others are saying
“[I]n our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him. This seems to us to be an obvious truth.”
- Justice Hugo Black, U.S. Supreme Court, Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963
“We must all enhance and publicize the role of a …defender as someone who gives practical meaning to that wonderful document, the Constitution, and as someone who is essential in achieving justice. …The failure to fully fund the indigent defense system in the long run imposes more cost in more ways than one, both on the defendant, [and] on the community as a whole.”
- Janet Reno, former U.S. Attorney General
“A true democracy depends on the premise that all are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Without effective defense counsel, it is impossible for the justice system to operate properly. It is the obligation of the state to make sure that each component of the system works, so we can ensure fairness and justice.”
- Kary Moss, Executive Director, ACLU of Michigan
“As a person who believes in the U.S. Constitution, I believe the State of Michigan cannot pick and choose which constitutional rights to honor. The right to counsel for indigent criminal defendants is both a right of an individual and an obligation imposed by the Constitution on the State. Michigan should abide by its obligations.”
- Richard D. McLellan, Board of Directors, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
“People get treated like they’re on an assembly line on their way to conviction.”
- Jackie McCann, Assistant Defender, State Appellate Defender Office
"Our state's broken public defense system puts all of our residents at risk. When the defense is unable to function, a fair trial is impossible. Innocent people like Eddie Joe Lloyd go to jail and real perpetrators remain free on the streets."
- Saul A. Green, former United States Attorney, Eastern District of Michigan
“The reality is that underpaid and under-resourced attorneys simply are not provided the resources to challenge eyewitness identifications and false confessions – some of the major causes of wrongful convictions. This is a major concern – how can we ensure that the right person is going to jail if the attorney is unable to do their job?”
- Donna McKneelen, Co-Director, Thomas M. Cooley Innocence Project
“Criminal justice is one of the most important functions of government. It is crucial for public safety that criminals be imprisoned. It is likewise crucial for public safety that innocent persons not be convicted or imprisoned. A strong and effective public defender system is an essential part of the checks and balances that protect the innocent from wrongful convictions, and protect society as a whole from over-reaching by the minority of prosecutors with bad judgment who abuse their tremendous powers.”
- David Kopel, Research Director, Independence Institute
“Michigan’s broken system is wasting enormous amounts of taxpayer money. It costs us in unnecessary jail time; it costs us in the time spent on appeals, as defendants try time and again to undo the errors created at the trial level; and it costs us in payouts to people erroneously convicted in the broken system.”
-Martin Tieber, Member, Michigan Public Defense Task Force
“Under-funded, over-worked defense counsel will miss a lot of things that will result in an expensive incarceration where a less-expensive result may be possible.”
- James L. Shonkwiler, former Executive Director, Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan
“The criminal justice system is out of balance. On one side are carefully trained and salaried prosecutors; in the middle are carefully trained and salaried judges; on the other side are poorly paid assigned counsel whose training is sporadic at best…this imbalance is costly and inefficient for the entire system.”
- F. Randall Karfonta, former Executive Director, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan
“I believe we are lying to ourselves if we continue to pretend that our system of indigent defense …is the best we can do, or that it is good enough. It’s not: it’s a crime.”
- Bruce Neckers, former President, State Bar of Michigan
“A just society must ensure fairness for the accused as well as compassion for the victim."
-Sister Monica Kostielney, President and Chief Executive, Michigan Catholic Conference
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