Evaluating Investigator Use by Defense Counsel in Texas

• In Event: Data in Indigent Defense: Working with Local Agencies to Identify Sixth Amendment Issues

Abstract

The Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) discovered that 54% of Texas counties reported no expenditures for defense investigation in 2020. Most of the jurisdictions reported no or low expenditures for investigators were small, rural counties. TIDC applied to the JFA grant in February 2021 to examine the utilization practices of investigators in court-appointed cases. The research team, co-led by NACDL and RTI, sought to better understand these findings by surveying both investigators and defense attorneys and by interviewing judges in the geographic areas identified by the data. This study identified attitudes and practices that both supported the limited use of investigators, accounting issues, and needs for statewide data. This session will present findings and practice and research recommendations.

Authors

• Venita Embry, RTI International

• Bonnie Hoffman, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

• Scott Ehlers, Texas Indigent Defense Commission