Help selecting county's next public defense director

Past practice for selecting the county’s Director of Public Defense included representatives from the state Office of Public Defense, the Washington Defender Association, as well as judges from both district and superior courts.

We, the Black Alliance of Thurston County, Justice Not Jails, the Olympia Coalition to Reform Deadly Force Laws , and Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation’s Faith in Action Ministry, urge Thurston County Commissioners to use as a guideline the process that was established when last hiring for this position with the addition of the participation of community stakeholder representatives. It is critical for the integrity of the process that the hiring committee include public defender representatives who are knowledgeable about the running of public defense offices, as well as community members who are interested in a just representation of all.

The first principle of the American Bar Association’s 10 Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System is independence. Independence does not mean lack of accountability to local government or the communities the public defender serves. Independence rests on the ethical foundations that ensure that our adversarial system of justice works properly. It is crucial that the public defender office is insulated from accusations of political pressure or influence from law enforcement, the prosecution or the courts. We strongly advise that you take the opportunity during this transition to look at national best practice models for ensuring independence and accountability. We stand ready to provide assistance however we can.

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Help selecting county's next public defense director."