BIDS
is in trouble and needs your help! Please read this.Please contact the BIDS office in Topeka, (785) 296-4505, and
their appointing court and find out how you can help.
Brethren and Sistren,
It has been brought to my attention that our very own
Kansas Board of Indigent Defense Services is in TROUBLE. TROUBLE!
That starts with “T” which rhymes with ”D” which stands for DEFICIT.
The PROBLEM:
Not altogether surprisingly, the Legislature failed to adequately
fund BIDS. Now this is not the first time this has ever happened,
and it certainly won’t be the last, but it is the first in several years
and more importantly the supplemental funding well seems to have gone
dry. You would do better my boy to sell coals in New Castle than to ask
for more money in Topeka this year.
The OUTLOOK:
But what, you ask yourself, has this got to do
with me? Well, my friends I’ll tell you. As the public defenders’
offices lose people they won’t be able to replace them; a hirin’ freeze
don’t cha know. As the fiscal year drags on (and remember it runs from
July 1 to June 30) there will be less and less money for experts.
Eventually the money for appointed counsel will begin to run out. The
jails will be filled to overflowing and the courts will grind to a halt.
Your clients will suffer. Your work day will be harder. Your quality of
life will go down! The very system which we love and believe in will be
shaken to its core by this crisis. And crisis it is. I am reliably
informed that the fiscal outlook for BIDS is simply frightening. It is
our obligation, as attorneys, as criminal defense lawyers, as right
thinking individuals who care about our society, to do something!
What YOU CAN DO:
But what, I hear you ask. What can I do? I already voted for my state
representatives. They can’t be changed now. I pay my taxes, (if a little
reluctantly) on time and in full. What can be done to avert this
impending doom? Well I’ve got the answer for you. A BAND! What we need
is a band! I am not talking about some shiny brass band, marching up and
down the street with 76 trombones and drum majorettes. I am talking
about a band of brothers and sisters, a band of
warriors, a band of criminal defense lawyers who will step into the
breach and defend the system and those poor individuals caught up in it.
Seriously folks, BIDS is in trouble and needs help.
The call is going out for volunteers. Yes I said it, volunteers, who
will agree to take a few felony probation violation cases for free. I
have no idea if it is tax deductable, that ain’t really the point.
Taking a couple of probation violations won’t kill you and could really
help BIDS survive until the end of the fiscal year. If you have enough
time to waste reading my rantings you can volunteer for at least one
probation violation. Interested attorneys should contact the BIDS office
in Topeka, (785) 296-4505, and their appointing court
Patrick |
