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The state’s Public Defender Services recently announced the development of a new Public Defender Corporation. The PDC, in Monongalia County, will become the 20th PDC statewide, serving the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.
Its board of directors and staff, led by attorney Michael D. Simms will provide timely, cost-effective legal representation to individuals in criminal proceedings, as well as treatment services.
“I am honored to have been appointed by Governor Justice as the chairperson of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Corporation,” Simms said. “I have dedicated my practice of nearly 16 years to criminal defense work in West Virginia and understand the unique and difficult conditions that people with low incomes face when going through the criminal justice system. One thing is for certain — money should never be a barrier to receiving high-quality, professional legal representation.”
The PDC’s first board meeting, is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Public Safety Building, at 300 Spruce St., in the meeting room that is to the right of the main entrance.
Services provided by PDCs extend beyond legal representation, however. According to Public Defender Services Executive Director Dana Eddy, they provide a platform from which to launch programs that address the underlying causes of a person’s intersection with the criminal justice system, with the goal to reduce the risk of relapse and recidivism. While treatment programs may vary, they can include counseling, peer support, and job-specific training.
The Monongalia County PDC will also have the opportunity to partner with the state’s only law school, West Virginia University School of Law, to provide mentorship and learning opportunities to its young lawyers-to-be, as well as offer competitive pay and benefits to those wishing to enter the field of public defense upon graduation.
Once the Monongalia County PDC becomes operational, its employees will have the support of the PDC Research Center. The center, which provides administrative support to all PDCs, employs a criminal justice specialist with which PDCs can consult on mitigation efforts and treatment plans, and provides a forum for PDCs across the state to discuss their individual needs, challenges, and/or resolutions with one another.
The goal of all PDCs for their clients is the eventual, meaningful reentry into the community, said PDS Executive Director Eddy. The Monongalia County PDC, with the PDC Research Center’s support, will work to advance that mission, as well as provide a voice for the local criminal defense bar in support of programs within the community that will better serve the needs of clients who face unemployment, substance use issues, or other barriers to reentry into the community.
“I am indebted to Governor Justice and his administration for their support of our agency’s efforts to ensure the adequate funding of indigent defense and to ensure that the state of West Virginia is meeting its constitutional obligations in the most meaningful manner,” Eddy said.
Public Defender Corporations are funded by the state’s Public Defender Services and operate as non-profit corporations with a board of directors, whose chairperson is appointed by the governor. The PDCs provide legal representation in indigent cases in designated judicial circuits within West Virginia. Including the Monongalia County PDC, the PDS funds the operations of 19 PDCs in 20 of the state’s 31 judicial circuits.
The PDCs employ 141 attorneys and 105 support employees. The Monongalia Coonty PDC will employee seven to nine attorneys and six to eight support staff, increasing that number. Support staff may include legal secretaries, paralegals, investigators, social workers and recovery coaches.
During Fiscal Year 2019, the 19 PDCs resolved 35,696 cases, for an average cost of $531.79 per case.
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