Public Defender Workload Studies: The Search for Reliable Data and Analytics

• In Event: Legal Services for the Indigent: Research, Technology, and Reform

Abstract

Caseload studies using the Delphi Method have now been completed in a number of jurisdictions including Missouri, Texas, Louisiana and Rhode Island. In administering the Delphi method in these jurisdictions, researchers have faced numerous hurdles, including data availability and reliability. This presentation will address lessons learned from the completed Delphi studies. The methodological challenges addressed will include how many Delphi panels and how to divide/categorize appropriately and time-keeping challenges and possible alternatives. The presentation will also address strategies for refining and improving the methodology for future studies, as well as the possibilities presented by a meta-analysis of the growing number of Delphi studies.

Author

• Stephen Hanlon, National Association for Public Defense