How can the NC Office of Indigent Defense Services develop an evidence-based long-term plan for high quality and cost effective indigent defense services throughout North Carolina’s 100 counties?

• Forecast of population trends, poverty rates, attorney availability, and crime rates by county over the next 8 years.
• Comparison of jail populations in public defender counties versus non-public defender counties, and differences in pre-trial release rates and/or length of time for cases to be disposed.
• Comparison of outcomes for juvenile offenders between counties where defense is provided by court-appointed counsel and counties where defense is provided through contract counsel or public defenders.
• The NC Office of Indigent Defense Services is committed to developing and using evidence throughout its work across the state. This project does not have associated deliverables; for questions about IDS and its work on an evidence-based, long-term plan, please contact Chris Sadler, Research Director, Office of Indigent Defense Services, christopher.a.sadler@nccourts.org.

The results can assist NCIDS in developing and publishing a long-term strategic plan for the provision of high quality and cost-effective indigent defense services throughout North Carolina’s 100 counties.