Public defender’s office accuses police of racial profiling

Many cases assigned to public defenders don’t have a happy ending. That’s because the majority of public defender offices are underfunded and overworked. Some have four times the recommended number of cases. One study showed only 21 percent of state public defender systems have enough attorneys to meet caseload guidelines. That’s largely the result of insufficient budgets. That and other factors mean the poorest defendants often don’t get adequate representation. Gideon v. Wainwright made sure that every person charged with a crime gets a lawyer. But it did nothing to truly balance the scales of justice in America. The Broward County Public Defender’s Office in Florida is trying to change that and bring about justice for all. The office has taken on law enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office in an effort to expose what the public defender calls discrimination and racial profiling. It’s a battle for justice that the public defender is fighting one case at a time