Date of Award

Summer 7-2-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Abstract

All criminal defendants facing charges that may result in incarceration are entitled to effective legal representation at government expense if they cannot afford a private attorney. In Gideon v. Wainwright, the United States Supreme Court held consistent with the Constitution, reasoning that the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of counsel is a fundamental and essential right made obligatory upon the states by the Fourteenth Amendment (Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963)). The County of San Benito, like all other California counties, is primarily responsible for providing and paying for indigent defense; however, the actual provision of indigent defense servi ces should be evaluated and reassessed for opportunities for improvement. This mixed methods research (MMR) study aimed to gather and evaluate qualitative data from 10 stakeholder representatives from the San Benito Superior Court, contract public defender s, prosecutors, and leadership from the Sheriff’s, Probation and County Counsel departments, and quantitative data from 50 survey questionnaires from individuals and family members impacted by the County of San Benito public defense system within a ten ye ar span that showed any gaps or areas of improvement in the San Benito Indigent Defense system. Based on the findings, the County Board of Supervisors may decide to take action to address any of the areas of concern for providing effective legal counsel representation.

Keywords Indigent Defense, Effective legal representation, Accountability, Leadership, Defendants.

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