public defender

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public defender

public defender governmental official who represents indigent persons accused of crime. U.S. Supreme Court decisions expanding the right to counsel to pretrial proceedings and holding that a person cannot be sentenced to even one day in jail unless a lawyer was provided have created a need for more lawyers to represent the indigent. Proponents of the public defender office claim that it is the most efficient and effective method of protecting the indigent. Other systems include court-appointed counsel from the local bar, clinics operated by law schools, and legal aid societies. The societies are privately funded and offer civil and criminal representation.

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"public defender." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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public defender

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

pub·lic de·fend·er • n. Law a lawyer employed at public expense in a criminal trial to represent a defendant who is unable to afford legal assistance.

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"public defender." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"public defender." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (November 29, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-publicdefender.html

"public defender." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-publicdefender.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

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