County backs regional public defender’s office

The Lavaca County Commissioners’ Court met in a special-called meeting Monday morning, May 1, and unanimously approved a resolution of support for a regional public defender’s office.

County Judge Keith Mudd said he called the meeting for Lavaca County to join and support Victoria County’s intention to form a Coastal Plains Regional Public Defender’s Office program.

He said the application deadline was May 8.

Mudd said Lavaca County has a contract w i t h t h e Tex a s R i o Grande Legal Aid program (TRLA), which involves paying for indigent defense.

“When a client can’t pay for indigent defense, we (the county) have to pay for it,” Mudd said. “Currently, we pay $120,000 and the state matches with $240,000.”

According to the TRLA contract, Lavaca County gets 1.86 attorneys to represent indigent defenses and Mudd said he and the two district judges do not feel they are getting that service.

He said Victoria County is looking at forming its own region along with Jackson, Refugio and Lavaca counties.

Since February, the county has participated in a study to show what the county would get if the four counties joined together to form its own region.

“They’re proposing to have up to 12 ½ attorneys in the region to service us as well, and would lower our contribution to less than $120,000,” Mudd said.

Regarding the resolution, across Texas and the nation, criminal courts are experiencing increased caseloads for an ever-decreasing number of attorneys who are available to represent indigent criminal defendants.

The proclamation said Victoria County has worked with the Texas Indigent Defense Commission and intends to apply for an improvement grant to fund the Regional Public Defender’s Office.

Implementation of the program will positively impact Lavaca County by providing necessary indigent support and funding eligibility, all judges of the statutory county/district courts hearing criminal matters punishable by incarceration or juvenile matters in the county must sign a cooperation agreement in support of the program.