A grant to help pay for the establishment of a public defenders office in Hays County will be up for discussion at tomorrow morning’s Hays County Commissioners Court meeting.
The commissioners will discuss and consider action authorizing the submission of an application for an Indigent Defense Improvement Grant to the Texas Indigent Defense Commissioner. The state office awards grants to help counties set up new programs to improve indigent defense, such as public defender programs and specialized defenders for mentally ill or juvenile dependents. Commissioners will discuss the grant’s scope and purpose and discuss data compiled to show the potential effects of having a public defender’s office. More than 300 pages of data and research regarding the role of public defenders is included in this week’s commissioners court agenda packet.
According to that research, the county is spending an average of $10,000 to $15,000 per day to outsource inmates, sometimes in faraway counties.
