Public defenders receive $400,000 boost

OLYMPIA — Rep. Bill Hinkle sponsored legislation last session to provide nearly $400,000 to Grant County's public defender system for use in dependency and juvenile offender cases.

"Grant County was identified as one of the counties absolutely overloaded with these types of cases," Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, stated in a Dec. 13 press release. "This legislation created programs with state money to help the overburdened public defenders."

Dependency cases settle whether parents retain rights to their children. Grant County cases involving juveniles charged with crimes will also benefit from the state money.

"I'm hoping that this state money will ease the burden of families and court staff in Grant County," Hinkle stated.

The Grant County Commissioners added $125,000 of the state money to the budget they adopted Thursday, earmarking it for juvenile defense.

Joanne Moore, director of the state Office of Public Defense, the agency distributing the funds, stated that attorneys are overloaded across the state and need more time to meet with each client.

"Something needed to be done immediately," she stated.

Some of the money will help offset increased public defense spending the county faces in 2006. The county increased public defender spending to nearly $1.8 million in the proposed 2006 budget from an amended 2005 budget total of almost $1.3 million.