The Berrien County Public Defender’s office will seek funding from the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to expand the legal services it provides to emerging youth defendants. Chief Public Defender Paul Jancha spoke to the Berrien County Board of Commissioners Thursday and said more young people are being tried as adults and many waive their rights.
“There’s been a serious lack of in custody meetings with our youth clients in Berrien County, and our youth are not getting to fully participate in their own defense,” Jocha said. “There have not been the opportunities for them to meaningfully review their discovery and this is unacceptable.”
Jancha said there’s a disparity in the outcomes related to marginalized youths in the court.
“Our goal would be to take on the most serious cases, clients, make sure that those clients are receiving the services that they deserve, and offer a complete defense, the best defense that we can and the defense that our Constitution requires we provide to these clients.”
Jancha said he would like to seek additional funding from the state to serve those defendants. It would not cost the county. Legal services for many of the defendants would be handled by contracted attorneys. Commissioners said they supported Jancha’s request.
