Resources (Commission Research/Studies)

Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC)

Fair Defense Act and other related policies

• Justice for All: How Texas Was Ahead of the Landmark Gideon v. Wainwright Decision, article by Presiding Judge Sharon Keller and Jim Bethke in the Texas Bar Journal (March 2013)
• Message For You from Executive Director (November 2012)
• Fair Defense Law: A Primer for Texas Officials (October 2012)
• Fair Defense Laws-Codified (2011)
• Ten Things You Need to Know about the Texas Fair Defense Law (June 2011)
• DNA Post Conviction Report, September 2010
• Director of Task Force response to theTexas State Legislature letter regarding April 14, 2009 Constitution Project’s National Right to Counsel Committee report, Justice Denied: America’s Continuing Neglect of our Constitutional Right to Counsel. The report details the endemic and systemic challenges of the indigent defense system and recommends twenty-two specific reforms. The full report and other relevant materials are available online here. Also, links to Quick Facts and the 22 recommendations.
• Fair Defense Act Factsheet

Indigence

• The Costs and Benefits of an Indigent Defendant Verification Study (July 2007); also, Supplement to the Verification Study (November 2007) and Indigent Determination Form (sample form in Excel) and 2012 federal poverty guidelines issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services--Many jurisdictions use these to determine eligibility for services, such as appointed counsel in criminal cases

Innocence

• Information on TIDC Innocence Program

Juvenile

• Indigent Defense in the Texas Juvenile Justice System - A Joint Report by the Task Force on Indigent Defense and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (June 2007)

Mental Health

• Montgomery County's Managed Assigned Counsel/Mental Health Program: Year 1 (2012) Annual Report (August 2013)
• Flowcharts describing Articles 16.22 and 17.032 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to aid jurisdictions in improving defense processes related to mental health issues
• Documentary Film "A Different Kind of Law: Holistic Justice for the Mentally Ill" by the Travis County Mental Health Public Defender Office (May 2010)
• Representing the Mentally Ill Offender: An Evaluation of Advocacy Alternatives and Press Release May 3, 2010
• Preliminary Findings from recent survey: Judicial Perspectives on Substance Abuse & Mental Health Diversionary Programs and Treatment [pdf] (October 24, 2008)

Processes

• Bell County Discretionary Grant Closeout Evaluation: Portable Web-Based Indigent Defense Solution (August 2013)
• White paper on Programs, Processes, and Technology: An Overview of the Discretionary Grant Program (May 2010)
• Evaluating the Impact of Integrated Electronic Systems in Criminal Case Filings: Closing the Paper Trap and Executive Summary [PDF] July 12, 2006, Press Release and Resolution
• Review of Tarrant County Indigent Defense System [PDF] March 10, 2006
• Study to Assess the Impacts of the Fair Defense Act on Texas Counties (January 2005) [PDF] with Summary Report [PowerPoint]
• Waiver of Counsel.  The 2007 Legislature promulgated procedures for obtaining waivers of the right to counsel from defendants in HB 1178.  It also imposed limits on when prosecutors may speak with unrepresented defendants and when judges may direct such defendants to speak with prosecutors.  Under the law a judge or magistrate may not order a defendant rearrested or require another, higher bond because a defendant withdraws a waiver of counsel or requests the assistance of counsel.  An overview of the changes and flowcharts depicting the steps in the process are available.

Public Defender Offices

• Judgment and Justice: An Evaluation of the Texas Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases (6/7/13), Public Policy Research Institute for TIDC/OCA and Press Release
• Wichita Public Defender Office: An Evaluation of Case Processing, Client Outcomes, and Costs (PPRI, October 12, 2012)
• Harris County Public Defender Office Preliminary Report (Justice Center, The Council for State Governments, October 2012) also, 2-page Summary
• Regional Capital Public Defender website
• Travis County Mental Health Public Defender Office - Cost Benefit Analysis (May 2011)
• White paper on Programs, Processes, and Technology: An Overview of the Discretionary Grant Program (May 2010)
• An Evaluation of the Bexar and Hidalgo Public Defender Offices (May 27, 2009)
• Review of Dallas County Public Defender: Appellate Division and Caseload Standards (July 2008)
• Blueprint on Creating a Public Defender Office in Texas (Second Edition, June 2008) and Press Release
• Second Interim Report: An Evaluation the of Bexar and Hidalgo County Public Defender Offices After One Year of Operation, March 2, 2007
• Evidence for the Feasibility of Public Defender Offices in Texas [PDF] November 9, 2006
• An Analysis of the Newly Established Bexar and Hidalgo Public Defender Offices [PDF] May 11, 2006
• The Val Verde County Regional Public Defenders Office [pdf] May 2, 2006
• Report on Dallas County's Indigent Defense System and Public Defender Office [PDF] August 20, 2004; also read the Resolution [PDF]
• Blueprint for Creating a Public Defender Office in Texas [PDF], andJune 25, 2004 Press Release; a valuable tool for Texas local and state officials who seek a deeper understanding of what a "public defender" is and whether creating one makes sense.
• Review of Wichita County's Indigent Defense System--Findings and Recommendations [pdf] Final Report dated February 2004 Prepared by The Spangenberg Group

Veterans

• Veterans Defender Resource, Published March 28th, 2012
• Veterans Defender Resource Online