SB 1317 | Establishing a statewide Indigent Defense Advisory Committee

  • Position: Support
  • Bill Number: SB 1317
  • Session: 2021–2022
  • Latest Update: September 17, 2022
ACLU-PA Bill Page SB 1317

Summary

Session: 2021-2022

ACLU-PA Position: Supports

SB 1317 would create an Indigent Defense Advisory Committee and a grant fund to support indigent defense. Pennsylvania remains the only state in the nation that fails to provide state-level funding for public defenders and instead requires that individual counties bear 100% of the financial burden to maintain their essential—and constitutionally required—public defense services.

Check the bill's status here.

Sponsors:
Senator Pat Browne

Related Issues

Criminal Legal Reform View All Issues

Related Content

Court Case
June 12, 2024
Judge gavel
  • Criminal Legal Reform

Warren, et al. v. Commonwealth, et al.

On June 13, 2024, the ACLU-PA filed a lawsuit against Governor Josh Shapiro and the leadership of the state General Assembly challenging the inadequate representation provided to indigent criminal defendants in Pennsylvania courts. As a result of decades of inadequate funding and oversight of its public defense system, indigent Pennsylvanians are at risk of being denied their constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel in their criminal cases. The lawsuit was brought by 17 indigent Pennsylvanians facing criminal prosecution without effective assistance of counsel at each stage of their criminal proceedings. They brought the lawsuit on behalf of a class of all indigent Pennsylvanians at similar risk of harm due to the Commonwealth’s systemic failure to fund and supervise indigent defense services. The lawsuit asks a Pennsylvania court to rule that the current state of public defense services in Pennsylvania violates the constitution, so that the governor and the General Assembly will protect our constitutional rights by adequately funding public defense in Pennsylvania.