“How Do I Defend People Now?”
75 Percent of My Job is In-Person, But I Can Barely See My Clients
By Chrissy Madjar, public defender
Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy
D.* had his first court appearance via Skype, his plea was taken via Skype and all communication with his lawyer took place via Skype. He did not have a private room; he just had a computer that he could only hope was confidential.
Even in counties that are embracing technology amid the COVID-19 crisis, it is a poor substitute for in-person representation. A public defender’s job is 75 percent interactive. Normally, we are constantly in courtrooms. We are at jails and prisons several times a week meeting with our clients, and we spend multiple hours with the same person. We are negotiating with prosecutors and interacting with
