JEFFERSON CITY — Senator Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, Senate Judiciary Committee chair, today released a statement calling for the immediate release of $1.4 million in funds budgeted for the Missouri State Public Defender by the General Assembly and withheld by the governor in June.  In response to the continued withholds, the Public Defender will soon be instituting a hiring freeze and furloughs.    

“The decision to withhold funds budgeted by the legislature for a core constitutional function—justice—is deeply troubling.  It is detrimental to all parties involved in the criminal justice system, without a compelling reason or justification.  These cases will not disappear, defendants must wait for their day in court, and crime victims will not receive the justice they deserve.  In many counties, local budgets already hard-pressed by growing jail populations will be placed under even greater strain. 

In 2009, the governor vetoed legislation meant to address caseload issues with the Public Defender System.  He pledged to work ‘with the General Assembly to identify additional resources that will allow criminal proceedings to proceed effectively and efficiently for all parties involved.’  This year, in addition to funds budgeted, the General Assembly also passed HB 215, a bill to address challenges related to the Missouri Public Defenders System.  Prosecutors and public defenders alike agreed the bill was a thoughtful and considered response to potential instability in our criminal justice system, and the governor signed it into law. 

The failure to release funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the Public Defender System threatens to undermine the legislature’s work to protect public safety, safeguard citizens’ constitutional rights, and promote the efficient and effective administration of justice even during challenging economic times.

I would urge the governor to reconsider this course of action.  In a year when the fiftieth anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright is being observed, we should redouble our efforts to see that justice is administered today, without delay.”