ST. CLAIR, Ill. — St. Clair County leaders have struck a deal to save its public defender's office from the brink of collapse on Wednesday.
"Our salaries weren't competitive with any other public defender's office in the state," Chief Public Defender Cathy MacElroy said. "Our caseloads were really unbearable."
Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson and St. Clair County Board Chair Mark Kern decided to add $200,000 to the budget, according to MacElroy.
"We are happy about that," MacElroy said. "We should be able to raise our salaries for the people at the bottom. Hopefully attract more lawyers for the openings that I have."
The MacElroy said cases have been on the rise since 2018.
The pandemic made the problem worse.
Felony lawyers are handling up to 450 cases a year, which is three times what's recommended by the American Bar Association (ABA).
Public defenders represented 95% of all in custody felon defendants.
The shortage in funding was hurting folks on both sides of the courtroom MacElroy said.
"The victim of the case aren't getting any justice," the chief public defender said. "If my client believes they have been wrongly accused, they aren't getting justice. The system grinds to a halt when we don't have time to prepare or talk to clients."
MacElroy said this is a short-term solution.
She hopes funding from the county remains strong.
She said she is also eyeing grants from the new SAFE-T Act that goes into effect on Jan. 1.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed HB1095, a series of amendments and clarifications to the landmark SAFE-T Act, originally passed in 2021, according to the state of Illinois. The bill addresses misinformation related to the Act, including clarifying the detention net, expanding processes for transitioning to cashless bail on Jan. 1, and specifying definitions of willful flight and dangerousness, among other changes.
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