Refreshing Data Portal for Indigent Defense Plans

• In Event: Data in Indigent Defense: Management of Public Defense and Court Systems

Abstract

The Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) is working on a multiyear project overhauling their data website. After completing the first reporting year for the Indigent Defense Expenditure Report, TIDC has now embarked on updating the reporting portal for Indigent Defense Plans (ID Plans). In Texas, ID Plans are the countywide judicial plans and procedures for indigent defense. The plans describe counties' policies and procedures for magistration, indigence determination, attorney qualifications, appointment of counsel, attorney fee schedules, and more. These are submitted annually by the local judges, and counties often have more than one plan to address different areas of law (adult criminal, juvenile delinquency, family protection representation) and different court levels (county court, district court). This presentation will discuss the challenges and lessons learned from updating TIDC’s ID Plans portal.

Authors

• Sarah Gammell, Texas Indigent Defense Commission

• Kristin Meeks, Texas Indigent Defense Commission