The Hays County Commissioner’s Court approved a grant from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission to participate in a trial examining the effects of counsel on first appearance.
The commissioners unanimously, with commissioner Lon Shell absent, approved the grant from the TIDC in the amount of $136,500 during Tuesday’s meeting. The funding will go to compensate defense attorneys that will be in attendance at the “first appearance” — the bail hearing of a defendant in front of a judge or magistrate.
“What a great opportunity for us to look at the benefits of counsel at magistration or first appearance,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe said. “This is at no cost to our county. There are defense attorneys who have agreed to participate in the program and so we’re really excited to implement yet another program that I believe will help the system work more efficiently.”
