Overview
Mission Statement
The New York State Commission on the Future of Indigent Defense Services was charged with performing a comprehensive examination of the State's criminal indigent defense system and developing a blueprint for reform. Chaired by Judge Burton Roberts and Professor William Hellerstein, the Commission examined:
- the funding of indigent defense services
- the effectiveness of the various types of criminal defense systems in use throughout the State
- the quality of the representation afforded indigent criminal defendants, and the adequacy of the training received by the attorneys who deliver these services
- the availability and quality of ancillary resources such as investigative and interpretive services