NACDL News: NACDL Sounds Alarm Over Inadequate Funding of Federal Indigent Defense System

Austerity measures, including sequestration, have placed a disparate burden on America’s federal defender system, with no commensurate reduction in the resources available to the prosecutorial function. Federal public defenders have been forced to lay off and furlough attorneys, close offices, and eliminate training; without significant additional funding, federal defenders will be dangerously overburdened and attorneys who accept court-appointed cases will likely face lengthy delays in payments and significant economic hardship.