Sequestering has brought the federal public defenders system to its knees. The indigent are not receiving the defense constitutionally mandated.
Why is this important?
Our country's public defenders (PDs) are already grossly underpaid and overworked and our poor are already significantly over-represented in our criminal justice system. Because our legislators will not approve a federal budget, federal PDs are being forced to take pay cuts and furlough days and the poor are not receiving the representation provided in the Constitution.
PDs are the only hope our poor have when they are arrested - often falsely - for a crime. I cannot be silent while once again the poor suffer, often sitting in prison while legislators play political games.
Please intervene and see to it that budgets are restored to our federal public defender's offices immediately.
