Lawmakers are now considering proposals to significantly expand that program while recent moves to nearly double the reimbursement rate for private attorneys has helped draw more lawyers into the commission’s pool.īut Stanfill told lawmakers that it's not all bad news. Lawmakers set aside money last year to hire five public defenders to help fulfill Maine’s constitutional obligation. But the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services, which oversees the program that connects defendants with attorneys, has witnessed a dramatic decline in participating attorneys. Until a few months ago, Maine was the only state in the nation that relied entirely on private attorneys willing to represent defendants who can’t afford to hire their own lawyers. Maine’s judicial system is also struggling to operate smoothly amid a shortage of defense attorneys willing to represent low-income defendants. For folks whose goal is public service and helping others, it’s a crisis of confidence.' 'Judicial Branch employees are feeling the weight of a realization that it seems no matter what we do, we can’t catch up, we can’t address the backlog,” Stanfill said. Stanfill told lawmaker that all of this is adding stressors to a system that was already strained before the pandemic.

And while electronic and remote hearings are often good for court users, they often require more work for the staff members who have to schedule meetings and scan documents for the proceedings. Additionally, the number of child protective cases was trending upward even before the pandemic.Īnd Stanfill said that larger number of defendants struggling with substance use disorder or mental health disorders is “adding to the complexity of the cases,” with the number of mental health evaluations ordered by judges tripling between 20. Felony cases, which require far more time and staff resources to handle, are up 87% while misdemeanors are up 60%. Stanfill said that because of the suspension of trials at the height of the COVID pandemic, courts have 65% more cases today than three years ago.

Janet Mills and nearly all lawmakers in attendance, Stanfill laid out her case for additional money to add more judges, clerks, marshals and other staff.

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