An Equal Justice Initiative analysis shows how the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Gideon decision demonstrates ongoing problems in indigent defense. Only 24 states have public defender systems and too often are hampered by inadequate funding and “crippling caseloads” for public defenders. Just last year, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Maples v Alabama, criticized Alabama’s failure to provide legal assistance to death row inmates, as too many must rely upon volunteers or no defense at all during the post-conviction process.
