Rural California's Public Defense Crisis: Justice for Sale to the Lowest Bidder
Originally Published 26 days ago — by CalMatters
The article exposes how flat-fee contracts with private law firms like Fitzgerald, Alvarez and Ciummo undermine the quality of public defense in rural California, leading to inadequate legal representation for the poor, increased wrongful convictions, and a system that favors cost-cutting over justice, with little oversight or funding from the state.