Following a federal judge’s order, the state offered a plan Friday to reduce the backlog of cases in an agency that appeals convictions of indigent prison inmates.
The proposal calls for the General Assembly to provide more money for state Appellate Defender Ted Gottfried’s office, some of which would be set aside to hire private lawyers who would help handle the load.
The filing of the plan by Atty. Gen. Jim Ryan comes two weeks after a federal judge scolded state officials for not providing a “concrete and detailed proposal” for reducing the long list of indigent inmates awaiting legal services.
U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur is hearing a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of state prisoners whose appeals are being handled by Gottfried’s office. The backlog is so great that it takes about two years for an agency lawyer to begin working on a case once it has been assigned.
Of the approximately 400 prisoners covered by the suit, about 45 percent will have completed their sentences before their appeals are ruled upon, Shadur has found.
But some state officials believe that more money in the defender’s budget will help solve the problem. An appropriations bill being considered in the legislature would allocate $10.5 million to the office next year, a $3.5 million increase.
Included in that amount is $750,000 for the office to hire private lawyers on contract, said Steve Culliton, chief of staff to Ryan, who is defending the state in the case. The proposal also refers to plans by the defender’s office to increase the voluntary legal work that outside lawyers do for the agency.
But the document points out to Shadur that Ryan does not have any control over the legislature and the governor. They will have final say about how much money is appropriated to the defender’s office.
The court filing says that, according to Gottfried, the proposed budget “should provide adequate staff to meet the current level of annual appointments.” But efforts to reach his office for comment Friday were unsuccessful.
