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Attachment 1: 2024 CPDO survey instrument------------------------------------------------------------------------------2
Attachment 2: CPDO Overview-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14
Attachment 3: Generic OMB approval for CPDO frame construction-----------------------------------------------16
Attachment 4: Title 34, United States Code, Section 10132 of the Justice Systems Improvement Act of
1979---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18
Attachment 5: Welcome screen for online instrument-----------------------------------------------------------------24
Attachment 6: 2024 CPDO Cognitive Testing Report--------------------------------------------------------------------26
Attachment 7: BJS Pre-notification letter----------------------------------------------------------------------------------61
Attachment 8: Invitation email-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------62
Attachment 9: Ad hoc survey link/delegation request------------------------------------------------------------------64
Attachment 10: Reminder emails--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------66
Attachment 11: Reminder letter and hardcopy survey mailing-------------------------------------------------------71
Attachment 12: Reminder script – telephone----------------------------------------------------------------------------72
Attachment 13: Reminder letter and hardcopy survey mailing-------------------------------------------------------74
Attachment 14: Reminder letter---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------75
Attachment 15: NAPD Reminder script – telephone--------------------------------------------------------------------76
Attachment 16: Last chance postcard--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------78
Attachment 17: Thank you email--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------80
Attachment 18: 60-day notice public comment from the National Association of Counsel for Children---81
Attachment 19: 60-day notice public comment from Partners for Justice-----------------------------------------82
Attachment 1
OMB
N No
o.:111
121-0095 Approval Expires: TBD
U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics
(NORC acting as data collection agent)
2024 Census of Public Defender Offices
Name: _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Title: __________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of office: __________________________________________________________________________________________
Direct email: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Direct phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Instructions
The 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) is a census of all publicly funded public defender offices with
at least one (1) W-2 earning attorney that provides direct public defense representation for adults and/or juveniles
who are accused of a crime or delinquency or accused in a trial court of violating conditions of a sentence. Data
collected on this form will provide needed information to state and local governments, practitioners, and other
stakeholders. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) greatly appreciates your assistance.
1. There are multiple ways to complete and submit this survey. Please select the method most suitable for you:
a. Complete the survey and return via the provided self-addressed stamped envelope.
b. Visit [insert website] and enter your office’s unique PIN provided on the bottom left of this survey.
c. Call (866) 582-4052 and complete the survey by phone.
2. Please answer all questions with reference to the public defender office specified above. If you are the head of
more than one public defender office you should receive multiple solicitations for this survey: we ask that you
fill out one instrument for each office. If you find you need more copies of the survey, please contact the CPDO
team via email at [email protected].
3. Answer the questions as accurately as possible given the organization and structure of your office. Estimates
are allowed.
If you have questions or need assistance in completing the survey, please contact the CPDO team via email at
[email protected].
Burden Statement
This collection is authorized under 34 U.S.C. § 10132. Your participation is voluntary. BJS will use the information only for
statistical purposes [34 U.S.C. § 10134]. BJS will protect personally identifiable information consistent with the confidentiality
requirements in 34 U.S.C. § 10231 and 28 CFR Part 22. See the BJS Data Protection Guidelines (https://bjs.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/
xyckuh236/files/media/document/bjs_data_protection_guidelines.pdf).
This collection has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Number: 1121-0095 Approval Expires: TBD).
If this number were not displayed, we could not conduct this survey. Your voluntary participation in this survey is important,
however, you may decline to answer any or all questions. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated
to average 60 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
You can contact the Bureau of Justice Statistics with questions or feedback at [email protected]; by phone at 202-307-0765; or
by mail: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 999 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002.
Screener Questions
The first series of questions will confirm your office’s eligibility for the census. Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Yes
No
S1. Is your office supported, either partially or fully, by public funds? Funding that comes from federal, state
or local government, often collected through taxes and used toward public goods and services.
¢
¢
S2. Does your office have at least one W-2 earning attorney? A W-2 earning attorney is an attorney who is
formally employed by a company or organization and who receives a W-2 tax form each year to report their
income and taxes withheld.
¢
¢
S3. Does your office provide public defense representation for adult or juvenile clients who are accused
of a crime or delinquency, or accused in a trial court of violating conditions of a sentence?
¢
¢
S4. Does your office have a dedicated physical space? A place that some or all staff may use for work.
¢
¢
If you answered ‘No’ to any S1 – S4, please stop here. Your office does not meet our eligibility criteria for this
census, but we thank you for your time. If you have any questions about eligibility, or believe you were screened
out in error, please contact [email protected] or 1-866-582-4052.
If all your answers to S1 - S4 were ‘Yes’, please continue the survey.
Yes
No
S5. Is your office a for-profit private law firm?
¢
¢
S6. Does your office provide representation solely using an assigned counsel system? An assigned
counsel system provides representation using private attorneys who are not employed by the office, except
possibly as contractors.
¢
¢
S7. Is your office a tribal defender? A tribal defender provides representation only to defendants in tribal justice
systems.
¢
¢
If you answered ‘Yes’ to any S5 – S7, please stop here. Your office does not meet our eligibility criteria for this
census, but we thank you for your time. If you have any questions about eligibility, or believe you were screened
out in error, please contact [email protected] or 1-866-582-4052.
If all your answers to S5 – S7 were ‘No’, please continue the survey.
Section A. General Information
A1. What is the geographic jurisdiction served by your public defender office? Mark (X) only one.
n An entire state or United States territory.
2
n Multiple counties or county equivalents, an entire
1
Enter the
judicial district or circuit larger than a single county. names of the
counties served.
3
n An entire county or county equivalent
HERE. Your office does not meet our eligibility criteria
4
n Part of a county (e.g., city or town) ! STOP
for this survey but we thank you for your time. If you have any
questions about eligibility, or believe you were screened out in error,
please contact [email protected] or 1-866-582-4052.
5
n Other (please specify)
A2. Is your public defender office the primary office in your jurisdiction? A ‘primary office’ is an office that
is assigned more criminal and juvenile delinquency cases or other court-appointed cases than any other public
defender office. Mark (X) only one.
n Yes
n No
1
2
A3. Is your public defender office a conflict office? A ‘conflict office’ is an office that is assigned cases when
another public defender office has a conflict of interest. Mark (X) only one.
n Yes
n No
1
2
1
A4. Which best describes your public defender
office? Mark (X) only one.
A9. Do any attorney or non-attorney staff in your
office belong to a labor union with the right to
engage in collective bargaining related to their
public defense work?
n Part of the state or county judicial branch
n Part of the state or county executive branch
3
n A nonprofit organization
4
n Other (please specify)
1
2
n Yes, some attorney and/or non-attorney staff
1
belong to a labor union
No,
n no attorney and/or non-attorney staff belong
to a labor union SKIP to A11
3
n I don’t know SKIP to A11
2
A5. Is your office overseen or funded, in whole or
in part, by a state or territory-level body? Mark
(X) only one.
Yes
No
Funded
¢
¢
Overseen
¢
¢
A10. Which of the following is allowable for your
attorney and/or non-attorney staff regarding
membership with a labor union?
n Attorneys and non-attorneys can belong to the
1
same labor union.
n Attorneys and non-attorneys can belong to
2
separate labor unions.
Only
attorneys can belong to a labor union.
n
4
n Only non-attorneys can belong to a labor union.
5
n I don’t know
A6. Is your office overseen or funded, in whole or
in part, by a body other than at the state or
territory-level body? Mark (X) only one.
Yes
No
Funded
¢
¢
Overseen
¢
¢
3
A11. The reference period for this survey’s
questions about finances is fiscal year (FY)
2024. Please indicate your office’s FY 2024.
Mark (X) only one.
A7. Which of the following best describes the role
of the non-state or territory-level body in the
following decisions? Mark (X) only one choice
per row.
a. Determines
attorney practice
standards for the
office
b. Determines the
total amount
of the office’s
budget
c. Determines
policy priorities
for the office
Has a
Is the final limited (e.g., Has
decision- advisory)
no
maker
role
role
¢
¢
1
2024)
n July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024
3
n Other If other, please indicate the dates below:
2
Month ____ -Day ____ -Year ______
to
Month ____ -Day ____ -Year ______
Don’t
know
¢
¢
USE THIS REFERENCE PERIOD FOR
QUESTIONS THAT ASK ABOUT FY 2024
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
A12. In FY 2024, how much did your office
spend (total operating expenditures) to
provide criminal public defense services to
defendants? That is, excluding any fixed capital
costs, what were the total office expenditures
for public defense functions during the year?
Exclude building construction costs and major
equipment purchases. If you are unable to provide
the actual dollar amount, please provide your best
estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box.
A8. Who appoints the members of the non-state
or territory-level body? Mark (X) only one choice
per row.
Yes
No
Don't know
a. Governor
¢
¢
¢
b. State Legislature
¢
¢
¢
c. Supreme Court
¢
¢
¢
d. County Commission
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
e. Other (please specify)
n Calendar year (January 1, 2024-December 31,
TOTAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES:
$_____________________________ .00
n Estimate
n Don't know SKIP to A14
1
2
2
A13. What percentage of the total operating
expenditures entered in A12 came directly from
each of the following sources? If you are unable
to provide the actual percentage, please provide
your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate
check box. If none, enter “0”.
Percentage Source
Percentage (%)
A14. Is the primary funding source for your public
defender office an awarded contract? Mark (X)
only one.
n Yes
n No SKIP to B1
1
2
A15. When your office first won the contract, was
the process competitive? Mark (X) only one.
Est
a. State/U.S. Territory
¢
b. County
¢
c. City or town
¢
d. Federal government
(including Byrne Justice
Assistance Grants)
¢
e. Fees charged to clients for
representation
¢
f. Other (please specify)
¢
n Yes
n No
1
2
100% TOTAL
Section B. Staffing
B1. Including the chief public defender, how many of the following types of paid employees worked in your
public defender office on December 31, 2024?
‘Chief public defender’ is the individual designated as the chief executive of the office. "Part-time” refers to any
individual who regularly works fewer hours than the office’s standard work week. If you are unable to provide the
actual number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Number of
Number of
full‑time Est part‑time Est
a. Attorneys, including the chief public defender, with management or supervisory
responsibilities over other attorneys
¢
¢
b. Attorneys with no management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
¢
¢
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess client needs,
prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of licensing credentials)
¢
¢
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual investigation of cases)
¢
¢
e. Paralegals
¢
¢
f. All other staff (including administrators, support staff, IT staff, human resources,
and all others)
¢
¢
Total attorneys (sum of rows a and b)
What number of hours qualifies an attorney to be full-time?
3
B2. Of the sum of full-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) and sum of part-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) in your
office on December 31, 2024, what was the breakdown of all attorney staff by sex? If you are able to
provide estimated numbers only, please mark (X) in the estimate check box. If you are unable to provide any
numbers, please check ‘Unable to provide this information.’ If none, enter “0”.
Number of full‑time
attorneys
Est
Number of part‑time
attorneys
Est
a. Female
¢
¢
b. Male
¢
¢
B3. Of the sum of full-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) and sum of part-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) in your
office on December 31, 2024, what was the breakdown of all attorney staff by race and/or ethnicity?
If you are able to provide estimated numbers only, please mark (X) in the estimate check box. If you are unable to
provide any numbers, please check ‘Unable to provide this information.’ If none, enter “0”.
Number of
full‑time attorneys
Est
Number of
part‑time attorneys
Est
a. White alone
¢
¢
b. Black or African American alone
¢
¢
c. Hispanic or Latino alone
¢
¢
d. American Indian or Alaska Native alone
¢
¢
e. Asian alone
¢
¢
f. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone
¢
¢
g. Middle Eastern or North African alone
¢
¢
h. Multiracial and/or Multiethnic
¢
¢
i. Not known
¢
¢
B4. Of the sum of full-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) and sum of part-time attorneys (B1a and B1b) on staff,
how many litigating attorneys worked in your public defender office on December 31, 2024? ‘Litigating
attorneys’ carry a caseload. If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide your best estimate and
mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Number of full‑time attorneys
¢ Est
Number of part‑time attorneys
¢ Est
B5. Of the sum of B1a and B1b full-time attorneys, and sum of B1a and B1b part-time attorneys on staff, how
many attorneys had been employed at your office for more than three years as of December 31, 2024?
If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate
check box. If none, enter “0”.
Number of full-time attorneys
¢ Est
Number of part-time attorneys
¢ Est
B6. Please enter the minimum and maximum annual salaries your office paid as of December 31, 2024 for
staff in the following categories:
Category
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities
over other attorneys
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess
client needs, prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless
of licensing credentials)
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual
investigation of cases)
e. Paralegals
4
Minimum
Maximum
No such persons
$
.00
$
.00
¢
$
.00
$
.00
¢
$
.00
$
.00
¢
$
.00
$
.00
¢
$
.00
$
.00
¢
B7. How many staff in each category left your office at any time during calendar year 2024 (January 1, 2024 December 31, 2024), regardless of the reason? If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide
your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Category
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other attorneys
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess client needs,
prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of licensing credentials)
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual investigation of
cases)
e. Paralegals
Number full‑time
Number part‑time
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
B8. How many staff in each category were hired at any time during calendar year 2024 (January 1, 2024 December 31, 2024)? If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide your best estimate and mark
(X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Category
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other attorneys
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess client needs,
prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of licensing credentials)
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual investigation of
cases)
e. Paralegals
Number full‑time
Number part‑time
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
B9. How many positions were vacant on December 31, 2024? ‘Vacant’ means that your office is authorized to hire
for that position, but as of December 31, 2024, the position was not filled. If you are unable to provide the actual
number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.
Category
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other attorneys
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess client needs,
prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of licensing credentials)
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual investigation of
cases)
e. Paralegals
Number full‑time
Number part‑time
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
¢
Est
¢ Est
B10. In your jurisdiction who is the final authority in the selection of the chief public defender in your office?
Mark (X) only one.
n State-level body
n Chair of state-level body
3
n Board or commission other than at state-level
4
n State governor
5
n Publicly elected
6
n County executive
7
n County legislature
8
n County or district judiciary
9
n Other (please specify):
1
2
5
B11. How long had the chief public defender in your
office been in their position as of December 31,
2024? Write in years and months.
Section C. Caseload
a. _____ Years
The reference period for this survey’s questions about
cases is your office’s fiscal year (FY) 2024, defined in
question A11.
b. ______ Months
c. N/A - position was vacant SKIP to B13
C1. Did your office handle cases for courtappointed clients in the following categories?
Mark (X) only one choice per row.
B12. What was the annual salary of the chief public
defender in your office on December 31, 2024?
TOTAL ANNUAL SALARY:
$_____________________________ .00
Yes No
B13. Is the current chief public defender in your
office a litigating attorney? (Litigating attorneys
carry a caseload.) Mark (X) only one.
n Yes
n No
3
n NA - position is vacant SKIP to C1
1
2
B14. Is the current chief defender full or part-time?
“Part-time” refers to any individual who regularly
works fewer hours than the office’s standard work
week. Mark (X) only one.
n Full-time
2
n Part-time
1
B15. What is the sex of the current chief defender?
Mark (X) all that apply.
n Female
n Male
1
2
B16. What is the race and/or ethnicity of the current
chief public defender? Mark (X) all that apply.
n White
2
n Black or African American
3
n American Indian or Alaska Native
4
n Asian
5
n Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
6
n Middle Eastern or North African
7
n Hispanic or Latino
1
a. Capital felony (including death penalty-eligible
cases not ultimately prosecuted as capital cases)
¢ ¢
b. Non-capital felony cases where life without
parole is an available sentence (whether or
not it is imposed)
¢ ¢
c. Non-capital felony cases where the maximum
sentence is less than life without parole
(including traffic felonies)
¢ ¢
d. Misdemeanors that carry a jail sentence
(including misdemeanor traffic cases)
¢ ¢
e. Misdemeanors that do not carry a jail sentence
(including fine-only traffic offenses)
¢ ¢
f. Ordinance/Municipal infraction or violation
¢ ¢
g. Violation/Revocation of probation or parole
¢ ¢
h. Sex offender registration and classification
¢ ¢
i. Criminal appeal
¢ ¢
j. State post-conviction/habeas corpus
¢ ¢
k. Federal habeas corpus
¢ ¢
l. Expungement of criminal record
¢ ¢
m. Clemency or pardon
¢ ¢
n. Juvenile delinquency
¢ ¢
o. Juvenile delinquency appeals
¢ ¢
p. Juvenile transfer/waiver hearings
¢ ¢
q. Juvenile status offense (e.g., underage liquor law
violation, truancy, etc.)
¢ ¢
r. Termination of parental rights
¢ ¢
s. Child protection/dependency cases
(representing children)
¢ ¢
t. Failure to pay child support
¢ ¢
u. Child protection/dependency cases (representing
parents, other than termination of parental rights)
¢ ¢
v. Civil commitment of alleged sexually violent
predators
¢ ¢
w. Civil commitment (other than alleged sexually
violent predators)
¢ ¢
x. Other (please specify):
¢ ¢
6
If your responses to C3, b. and C3, c. regarding
non-capital felony cases are both ‘0,’ skip to D1
C2. Criminal cases are often defined and counted
differently across offices. Which of the
following statements most closely reflects how
your office counts a “case”? Mark (X) only one.
C4. In non-capital felony cases, when is your office
typically appointed to represent a client? Mark
(X) only one.
n Every charge against every client is counted as
1
a separate case.
Groups
of charges against a client may be
n
counted as single cases. (Groups of charges may
be: charges arising from a single incident, charges
contained in a single charging instrument, or
charges contained in a single court docket)
n BEFORE the client’s arrest and first court
1
2
appearance. (A first court appearance occurs
when a defendant is brought before a judge or
judicial officer, is informed of charges against
them, and their liberty may be subject to
restriction.)
2
n AT the client’s first court appearance
3
n AFTER the client’s first court appearance
4
n Other (please specify):
C3. How many of the following types of cases did
your office receive in your office’s FY 2024? If
you are unable to provide the actual number, please
provide your best estimate and mark the estimate
box. If none, enter “0”.
Type of case
a. Capital felony (including death penaltyeligible cases not ultimately prosecuted
as capital cases)
b. Non-capital cases where life without
parole is an available sentence (where
or not it is imposed)
c. Non-capital felony cases where the
maximum sentence is less than life
without parole (including traffic felonies)
d. Misdemeanors that carry a jail sentence
(including misdemeanor traffic
offenses)
e. Misdemeanors that do not carry a jail
sentence (including fine-only traffic
offenses)
Number of
cases
Est
¢
2
¢
is routinely present in court when client is
appointed, and meets with client)
3
Not
n immediately, but within 24 hours of
appointment
4
Later
than 24 but within 48 hours of appointment
n
5
n Later than 48 but within 72 hours of appointment
6
n Later than 72 hours after appointment
7
n Other (please specify):
¢
¢
¢
g. Violation of probation or parole
¢
h. Criminal appeals
¢
j. All other cases (including civil
commitment of alleged sexually violent
predators, civil commitment other than
alleged sexually violent predators, state
post-conviction/habeas corpus, federal
habeas corpus, juvenile status offenses,
termination of parental rights, failure
to pay child support, child protection/
dependency cases representing children
or parents, sex offender registration and
classification, expungement of criminal
record, clemency)
n Before appointment
n Immediately upon appointment (e.g., attorney
1
f. Ordinance/Municipal infraction or
violation
i. Juvenile cases (including juvenile
delinquency, delinquency appeals, and
juvenile transfer/waiver hearings)
C5. In non-capital felony cases, how soon does
a representative from your office (attorney,
investigator, paralegal, etc.) typically first
contact a client appointed to the office who is
in custody? Mark (X) only one.
¢
C6. In non-capital felony cases, when does a
representative from your office (attorney,
investigator, paralegal, etc.) typically first
contact a client appointed to the office who is
not in custody? Mark (X) only one.
¢
¢
n Before appointment
n Immediately upon appointment (e.g., attorney
1
2
is routinely present in court when client is
appointed, and meets with client)
3
n Not immediately, but within 24 hours of
appointment
4
n Later than 24 but within 48 hours of appointment
5
n Later than 48 but within 72 hours of appointment
6
n Later than 72 hours after appointment
7
n Other (please specify):
7
C7. Which of the following best describes how non-capital felony cases are generally handled after your office
is appointed? Mark (X) only one.
n Cases are handled by a single attorney from start to finish (vertical representation).
n Cases may be handled by one or more attorneys prior to arraignment, then assigned to a single attorney for
1
2
the remainder of the case (vertical representation after arraignment only).
n Cases may be assigned to different attorneys at various stages of the case after arraignment (horizontal
representation).
4
n Cases are assigned to either one or more attorneys depending on the type of charges filed
5
n Other (please specify):
3
Section D. Eligibility for Services
D1. Is your office responsible for screening applications from defendants seeking court-appointed counsel?
Mark (X) only one.
n Yes
n No
3
n Not applicable - no screening process is used for persons seeking representation from our office. SKIP to D5
1
2
D2. Which of the following information is used to assess whether a defendant is financially qualified to
receive appointed counsel in your jurisdiction? Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Some courts
consider,
Not
Don't
Considered others do not. considered know
a. Applicant earns income from employment
¢
¢
¢
¢
b. Applicant has outstanding debt (e.g., credit card, student loan)
¢
¢
¢
¢
c. Applicant is able to post financial bond
¢
¢
¢
¢
d. Applicant is in custody (e.g., mental health facility, jail, juvenile or youth
facility or other correctional institution)
¢
¢
¢
¢
e. Applicant lives in public housing
¢
¢
¢
¢
f. Applicant must pay utility bills, rent, mortgage, or other fixed expenses
¢
¢
¢
¢
g. Applicant owns a car
¢
¢
¢
¢
h. Applicant owns a house
¢
¢
¢
¢
i. Applicant receives needs-based public assistance (e.g., social security, TANF)
¢
¢
¢
¢
j. Assets or income of applicant’s family members (e.g., spouse, parents)
¢
¢
¢
¢
k. Likely cost for applicant to hire own attorney
¢
¢
¢
¢
l. Number of dependents in applicant’s family
¢
¢
¢
¢
m. Seriousness of charges against applicant
¢
¢
¢
¢
8
D3. In your jurisdiction, is there a standard income
level above which applicants are generally
denied court-appointed counsel?
D5. Which of the following fees can a client of your
office be required to pay? Mark (X) only one
choice per row.
n Yes
n No SKIP to D5
3
n Don't know SKIP to D5
1
Yes
2
D4. As of December 31, 2024, what was the
income limit below which an applicant for
representation in a non-capital felony case
with no dependents would routinely qualify for
court-appointed counsel? Enter either a dollar
amount or a percentage based on the Federal
Poverty Line. If neither applies, please describe
what is used.
No
Don't
know
a. Up-front application or
administrative fee when
requesting an attorney
1
¢
2
¢
3
¢
b. Attorney cost recoupment
after representation is ended
(whether partial or full)
1
¢
2
¢
3
¢
.00
n Income level: $
% of the Federal Poverty Line
n
3
n Other (please specify):
1
2
n Don't know
4
Section E. Office Resources
E1. Does your office have policies in the following areas? Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Yes, written Yes, unwritten or
policy
informal policy No policy
a. Attorney caseload limits
¢
¢
¢
b. Attorney qualifications to take cases
¢
¢
¢
c. Attorney supervision and/or mentoring
¢
¢
¢
d. Case file maintenance (e.g., timeliness of case closing, completeness of notes)
¢
¢
¢
e. Client contact (e.g., frequency throughout the case)
¢
¢
¢
f. Continuity (or ‘verticality’) of representation throughout case
¢
¢
¢
g. Determining a conflict of interest
¢
¢
¢
h. Information security (e.g., personally identifiable information (PII) or sensitive
information)
¢
¢
¢
i. Leave policy
¢
¢
¢
j. Performance reviews for attorney staff
¢
¢
¢
k. Performance reviews for non-attorney staff
¢
¢
¢
l. Remote work
¢
¢
¢
m. Professional Development Policy
¢
¢
¢
n. Training of attorneys
¢
¢
¢
o. Training of social workers
¢
¢
¢
p. Training of investigators
¢
¢
¢
q. Use of social workers
¢
¢
¢
r. Use of investigators
¢
¢
¢
s. Attorneys referring a client to outside organizations to help meet their civil or
social service needs
¢
¢
¢
9
E2. Does your office provide either in-house
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for attorneys,
or funding for attorneys to obtain CLE
elsewhere? Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Provided
Not
provided
Don't
know
a. In-house CLE
¢
¢
¢
b. Funding for attorneys to
obtain CLE elsewhere
¢
¢
¢
E4. Does your office pay bar membership fees for
staff attorneys? Mark (X) only one.
Full-Time Part-Time
Don't
know
Provided
a. In-house CEU
¢
¢
¢
b. Funding for attorneys to
obtain CEU elsewhere
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
Yes, for some
¢
¢
No
¢
¢
E5. Does your office use an electronic case
management system (CMS)? Case management
systems are software packages that allow attorneys
to keep track of data on clients and cases. For
the purposes of this question, word-processing
documents and spreadsheets (such as Excel) do
not constitute a CMS. Mark (X) only one.
E3. Does your office provide either in-house
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for social
workers, or funding for social workers to obtain
CEUs elsewhere? Mark (X) only one choice
per row.
Not
provided
Yes, for all
n Yes
n No
3
n Don't know
1
2
E6. Indicate how easy it would be for your office to report the following data. Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Data are
Data would be difficult to
Could not report
easily report (e.g., time consuming (e.g., data not available
reportable
and/or labor-intensive)
or accessible)
a. The office’s total caseload
¢
¢
¢
b. The number of cases in which an attorney used the services
of an investigator
¢
¢
¢
c. The number of cases in which an attorney used the services of
a social worker
¢
¢
¢
d. The number of cases in which an attorney used the services of
an expert witness
¢
¢
¢
e. Number of cases by disposition (e.g., how many ended in
dismissal, conviction, acquittal)
¢
¢
¢
f. The cost of providing representation in all cases
¢
¢
¢
g. Demographic data on attorneys and other employees
¢
¢
¢
h. Demographic data on clients
¢
¢
¢
i. Volume of digital discovery evidence
¢
¢
¢
10
E7. Do you have any system in your office that does the following? Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Yes, and it meets Yes, but it doesn’t meet No such
our office’s needs
our office’s needs
system
a. Automatically transcribes speech in video evidence to text
¢
¢
¢
b. Generates form letters or emails to send to clients
¢
¢
¢
c. Identifies conflicts of interest by checking names of parties in existing cases
¢
¢
¢
d. Organizes client appointments and court dates into a calendar showing
attorneys where they need to be
¢
¢
¢
e. Sends text message reminders to clients for court dates
¢
¢
¢
f. Sends text message reminders to clients for appointments at the office
¢
¢
¢
g. Stores all documents related to a case for easy reference
¢
¢
¢
h. Stores information about communication with client
¢
¢
¢
i. Tracks the amount of time that attorneys spend on a case
¢
¢
¢
E8. For FY 2024, indicate the types of digital evidence your staff reviewed and the devices where the evidence
was stored. Mark (X) only one choice per row.
Yes
No
a. Documents (e.g., notes, letters, articles, spreadsheets)
¢
¢
b. GPS and navigation system data
¢
¢
c. Social media posts, including audio and video files
¢
¢
d. Law enforcement body camera data
¢
¢
e. Audio files not including social media or body camera data
¢
¢
f. Video files not including social media or body camera data
¢
¢
¢
¢
a. Laptop or desktop computer
¢
¢
b. Thumb and external drives, CDs, DVDs or other media storage device
¢
¢
c. Cloud or external server
¢
¢
d. Traditional cellphone (not smartphone) device
¢
¢
e. Smartphone, tablet, or mobile device
¢
¢
¢
¢
Types of digital evidence reviewed
g. Other type of digital/multimedia data (please specify):
Types of devices where digital evidence was stored
f. Other type of digital/multimedia device (please specify):
11
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Census of Public Defender Offices
Attachment 2
SEPTEMBER 2024
the District of Columbia administered public defense
through county-based programs.3
The Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) is the
second iteration of a project by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics (BJS) to collect informative metrics from
all public defender offices operating in the United
States. Last administered in 2007, the CPDO enhances
understanding about public defender office operations.
Additionally, the CPDO supplements the BJS portfolio of
data collections on various aspects of indigent defense.1,2
To collect this information, BJS will work with the
National Opinion Research Center at the University of
Chicago, the National Association for Public Defense, the
Urban Institute, and other national experts. The CPDO
project is intended to collect information focused on
key operational aspects of public defense offices in each
county and state.
Which offices are included in the census?
CPDO will seek data on all public defender offices funded
through public funds that represent indigent clients in
criminal cases. This includes specialty offices, such as
conflict defender offices (those that take cases where the
public defender office has a conflict of interest, such as
representing co-defendants accused of the same crime);
appellate or post-conviction public defender offices;
and capital case public defender offices. Nonprofit
organizations that provide public defense through a
contract with a state or local government employing
at least one W-2 wage-earning attorney who provides
direct representation to clients also are considered public
defender offices.
The 2007 CPDO identified approximately 1,000
public defender offices nationwide within two general
administration structures. Twenty-two states had
statewide public defender programs, while 27 states and
1BJS defines indigent defense as criminal defense services for those
persons who cannot afford to pay for their own lawyer.
2A complete list of BJS publications about indigent defense is included
at the end of this information sheet.
What information will the CPDO collect?
The primary purpose of the CPDO is to collect
information about the operations of public defender
offices. In July 2023, BJS convened a diverse panel of
indigent defense experts. This group contributed to
the development of the questionnaire that will be sent
to offices. The census aims to collect information on
emerging issues while also maintaining consistency with
the 2007 CPDO to allow comparison over time. Examples
of information include:
Caseloads and case types.
Staff sizes and roles.
Staff attrition and turnover.
Attorney training.
Budget and expenditures.
Financial qualifications for public defense services.
Public defender salaries.
A second but equally important outcome of this project
is to develop a comprehensive list of public defender
offices. The framework will allow public defense systems
and attorneys to be sampled appropriately in the future to
generate national estimates.
How will data from public defender offices
be used?
Using the census data, BJS will publish reports similar
to those generated from the 2007 CPDO. Results from
the CPDO will allow accurate descriptions of public
defense in the United States. The data will permit analysis
of public defender services across places that differ by
urbanicity, types of cases handled, office size, funding
sources, and other key factors.
3Maine had no public defender offices in 2007 and provided all
indigent defense services through assignment to and contract services
with private attorneys.
Census of Public Defender Offices
Highlights from the 2007 CPDO
How can I find out more information?
Eighty-eight percent of the large offices in county-based
systems reported an insufficient number of attorneys to
meet established professional guidelines.
Ryan Kling, CPDO Project Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics
202-704-0076 | [email protected]
Forty percent of the 526 county-based offices employed
no investigators.
Jeanette Hussemann, CPDO Co-Principal Investigator
National Opinion Research Center at the University
of Chicago
312-201-4466 | [email protected]
Eighteen of the 20 responding state public defender
programs had fewer than one investigator for every
three full-time equivalent litigating attorneys.
The median attrition rate of assistant public defenders
in offices receiving more than 5,000 cases in 2007
was 8%.
Among state-based systems, the highest attrition rate
was 24%, with an average length of 3 years of service for
assistant public defenders.
Of the states with state-administered public defense
programs, seven states did not have caseload limits or
the authority to refuse appointments.
What is the timeline for the CPDO?
The CPDO is a 3-year project launched in January 2023.
The project team began contacting public defender offices
to identify and verify contact information in summer
2023 and will survey public defender offices beginning in
early 2025. Data are expected to be released in 2026.
Why should my jurisdiction participate?
CPDO will provide updated information about what
is known about public defender offices. The invaluable
data produced by the CPDO rely on participation from
jurisdictions like yours. It can help inform funding
decisions, policies, and practices. The information CPDO
will collect may provide support for public defender
offices to better articulate staffing, training, and funding
needs. For instance, the 2016 Luis v. United States ruling
cited findings from the 2007 CPDO pertaining to the
insufficient supply of public defenders to meet
established caseload recommendations. It is a critical tool
for data consumers and researchers to conduct analyses
across jurisdictions and will enhance public knowledge of
indigent defense. Data from CPDO also may help the
general public understand more about the important
work of public defenders within their state or local area.
CONNECT WITH US
@BJSGov
[email protected]
William Adams, CPDO Co-Principal Investigator
Urban Institute
202-261-5506 | [email protected]
Heather Hall, CPDO Co-Principal Investigator
504-301-6956 | [email protected]
Andrew Davies, CPDO Co-Principal Investigator
The Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center
214-768-2837 | [email protected]
Recent BJS public defense reports, by year
of publication
To access BJS public defense publications, please visit
https://bjs.ojp.gov/.
County-based and Local Public Defender Offices, 2007
(NCJ 231175, BJS, September 2010).
State Public Defender Programs, 2007 (NCJ 228229, BJS,
September 2010).
Indigent Defense Services in the United States, 2008–2012 –
Updated (NCJ 246683, BJS, July 2014).
State Government Indigent Defense Expenditures, FY
2008–2012 – Updated (NCJ 246684, BJS, July 2014).
State-Administered Indigent Defense Systems, 2013
(NCJ 250249, BJS, November 2016).
Hussemann, J., Adams, W., Davies, A., Hall, H., Lyon, J.,
and Hu, C. (2021). Survey of publicly appointed defense
attorneys: design study (NCJ 252676). Urban Institute,
Indigent Defense Research Association, and National
Association for Public Defense.
bjs.ojp.gov/subscribe
2
NOTICE OF OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET ACTION
Date
Department of Justice
06/13/2023
Attachment 3
Office of Justice Programs
FOR CERTIFYING OFFICIAL:
Melinda Rogers
FOR CLEARANCE OFFICER:
John Carlson
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, OMB has taken action on your request received
05/30/2023
ACTION REQUESTED: Generic IC
Census of Public Defender Offices Frame-building Outreach
IC TITLE:
ICR REFERENCE NUMBER:
202202-1121-002
AGENCY ICR TRACKING NUMBER:
BJS
TITLE:
Generic Clearance for Cognitive, Pilot and Field Studies for Bureau of Justice Statistics Data
Collection Activities
LIST OF INFORMATION COLLECTIONS: See next page
OMB ACTION: Approved without change
OMB CONTROL NUMBER:
1121-0339
The agency is required to display the OMB Control Number and inform respondents of its legal significance in
accordance with 5 CFR 1320.5(b).
EXPIRATION DATE: 04/30/2025
BURDEN:
DISCONTINUE DATE:
RESPONSES
HOURS
COSTS
Previous
30,000
15,000
0
New
30,000
15,000
0
Change due to New Statute
0
0
0
Change due to Agency Discretion
0
0
0
Change due to Agency Adjustment
0
0
0
Change due to PRA Violation
0
0
0
Difference
TERMS OF CLEARANCE:
Terms of the Generic ICR remain in effect.
OMB Authorizing Official:
Dominic J. Mancini
Deputy Administrator,
Office Of Information And Regulatory Affairs
IC Title
Form No.
Cognitive interviewing N/A, N/A
for the Law
Enforcement
Management and
Administrative Statistics
(LEMAS) supplement
survey
National Inmate Survey N/A, N/A
(NIS-4J) - Jails
Outreach
Cognitive Interviewing CJ-52
for 2022 Census of Law
Enforcement Training
Academies
Survey of Public
N/A
Defenders Pilot Testing
Pretest Revised Survey N/A
of Inmates in Local Jails
Pilot Study for the Local N/A
Jails Reporting Program
National Census of
N/A
Victim Service
Providers (NCVSP)
Cognitive Test
Cognitive testing for the N/A, N/A
2023 Survey of Sexual
Victimization
List of ICs
Form Name
CFR Citation
Hrs/$/Resp
LEMAS Supplement
Survey – Response to
Police Suicide
questionnaire, LEMAS
Supplement Survey –
Post-Academy Training
questionnaire
NIS-4J COVID-related
Restrictions Assessment,
NIS-4J Facility
Questionnaire Feedback
Form
2022 Census of Law
Enforcement Training
Academies (CLETA)
107 / 0 / 40
Interview Protocol
5 / 0 / 10
SILJ Draft Instrument
587 / 0 / 360
Survey of Inmates in Local
Jails Pretest, 2020
NCVSP Draft Survey
Instrument
588 / 0 / 30
Survey instrument,
Protocol for Cognitive
Interview for 2023 Survey
of Sexual Victimization
Cognitive Interview
Protocol
40 / 0 / 40
Test the Ability of Law N/A
Enforcement Agencies
to Report on Revised
Race and Ethnicity
Categories
Pilot Test of the New
NCVS instrument
Unmoderated Cognitive
Testing for the 2023
Survey of Sexual
Victimization Incident
Forms
Census of Public
Defender Offices
Frame-building
Outreach
Total Hours Actually Used for Information Collections Under Currently Approved ICR:
37 / 0 / 48
55 / 0 / 60
195 / 0 / 225
36 / 0 / 50
3,484 / 0 / 7,900
25 / 0 / 100
205 / 0 / 820
5,364
8/14/2018
Attachment 4 - 34 USC 10132
34 USC 10132: Bureau of Justice Statistics
Text contains those laws in effect on August 13, 2018
From Title 34-CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Subtitle I-Comprehensive Acts
CHAPTER 101-JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT
SUBCHAPTER III-BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
Jump To:
Source Credit
References In Text
Codification
Prior Provisions
Amendments
Effective Date
Miscellaneous
§10132. Bureau of Justice Statistics
(a) Establishment
There is established within the Department of Justice, under the general authority of the Attorney General, a Bureau
of Justice Statistics (hereinafter referred to in this subchapter as "Bureau").
(b) Appointment of Director; experience; authority; restrictions
The Bureau shall be headed by a Director appointed by the President. The Director shall have had experience in
statistical programs. The Director shall have final authority for all grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts
awarded by the Bureau. The Director shall be responsible for the integrity of data and statistics and shall protect
against improper or illegal use or disclosure. The Director shall report to the Attorney General through the Assistant
Attorney General. The Director shall not engage in any other employment than that of serving as Director; nor shall the
Director hold any office in, or act in any capacity for, any organization, agency, or institution with which the Bureau
makes any contract or other arrangement under this Act.
(c) Duties and functions of Bureau
The Bureau is authorized to(1) make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with public agencies, institutions of higher
education, private organizations, or private individuals for purposes related to this subchapter; grants shall be made
subject to continuing compliance with standards for gathering justice statistics set forth in rules and regulations
promulgated by the Director;
(2) collect and analyze information concerning criminal victimization, including crimes against the elderly, and civil
disputes;
(3) collect and analyze data that will serve as a continuous and comparable national social indication of the
prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and attributes of crime, juvenile delinquency, civil disputes, and
other statistical factors related to crime, civil disputes, and juvenile delinquency, in support of national, State, tribal,
and local justice policy and decisionmaking;
(4) collect and analyze statistical information, concerning the operations of the criminal justice system at the
Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;
(5) collect and analyze statistical information concerning the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and
attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;
(6) analyze the correlates of crime, civil disputes and juvenile delinquency, by the use of statistical information,
about criminal and civil justice systems at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels, and about the extent,
distribution and attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, in the Nation and at the Federal, State, tribal, and local
levels;
(7) compile, collate, analyze, publish, and disseminate uniform national statistics concerning all aspects of criminal
justice and related aspects of civil justice, crime, including crimes against the elderly, juvenile delinquency, criminal
offenders, juvenile delinquents, and civil disputes in the various States and in Indian country;
(8) recommend national standards for justice statistics and for insuring the reliability and validity of justice statistics
supplied pursuant to this chapter;
(9) maintain liaison with the judicial branches of the Federal Government and State and tribal governments in
1
8/14/2018
matters relating to justice statistics, and cooperate with the judicial branch in assuring as much uniformity as feasible
in statistical systems of the executive and judicial branches;
(10) provide information to the President, the Congress, the judiciary, State, tribal, and local governments, and the
general public on justice statistics;
(11) establish or assist in the establishment of a system to provide State, tribal, and local governments with access
to Federal informational resources useful in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs under this Act;
(12) conduct or support research relating to methods of gathering or analyzing justice statistics;
(13) provide for the development of justice information systems programs and assistance to the States, Indian
tribes, and units of local government relating to collection, analysis, or dissemination of justice statistics;
(14) develop and maintain a data processing capability to support the collection, aggregation, analysis and
dissemination of information on the incidence of crime and the operation of the criminal justice system;
(15) collect, analyze and disseminate comprehensive Federal justice transaction statistics (including statistics on
issues of Federal justice interest such as public fraud and high technology crime) and to provide technical assistance
to and work jointly with other Federal agencies to improve the availability and quality of Federal justice data;
(16) provide for the collection, compilation, analysis, publication and dissemination of information and statistics
about the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution and attributes of drug offenses, drug related offenses and
drug dependent offenders and further provide for the establishment of a national clearinghouse to maintain and
update a comprehensive and timely data base on all criminal justice aspects of the drug crisis and to disseminate
such information;
(17) provide for the collection, analysis, dissemination and publication of statistics on the condition and progress of
drug control activities at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels with particular attention to programs and
intervention efforts demonstrated to be of value in the overall national anti-drug strategy and to provide for the
establishment of a national clearinghouse for the gathering of data generated by Federal, State, tribal, and local
criminal justice agencies on their drug enforcement activities;
(18) provide for the development and enhancement of State, tribal, and local criminal justice information systems,
and the standardization of data reporting relating to the collection, analysis or dissemination of data and statistics
about drug offenses, drug related offenses, or drug dependent offenders;
(19) provide for improvements in the accuracy, quality, timeliness, immediate accessibility, and integration of State
and tribal criminal history and related records, support the development and enhancement of national systems of
criminal history and related records including the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the National
Incident-Based Reporting System, and the records of the National Crime Information Center, facilitate State and
tribal participation in national records and information systems, and support statistical research for critical analysis of
the improvement and utilization of criminal history records;
(20) maintain liaison with State, tribal, and local governments and governments of other nations concerning justice
statistics;
(21) cooperate in and participate with national and international organizations in the development of uniform
justice statistics;
(22) ensure conformance with security and privacy requirement of section 10231 of this title and identify, analyze,
and participate in the development and implementation of privacy, security and information policies which impact on
Federal, tribal, and State criminal justice operations and related statistical activities; and
(23) exercise the powers and functions set out in subchapter VII.
(d) Justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination
(1) In general
To ensure that all justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination is carried out in a coordinated manner,
the Director is authorized to(A) utilize, with their consent, the services, equipment, records, personnel, information, and facilities of other
Federal, State, local, and private agencies and instrumentalities with or without reimbursement therefor, and to
enter into agreements with such agencies and instrumentalities for purposes of data collection and analysis;
(B) confer and cooperate with State, municipal, and other local agencies;
(C) request such information, data, and reports from any Federal agency as may be required to carry out the
purposes of this chapter;
(D) seek the cooperation of the judicial branch of the Federal Government in gathering data from criminal justice
records;
(E) encourage replication, coordination and sharing among justice agencies regarding information systems,
information policy, and data; and
(F) confer and cooperate with Federal statistical agencies as needed to carry out the purposes of this
subchapter, including by entering into cooperative data sharing agreements in conformity with all laws and
regulations applicable to the disclosure and use of data.
(2) Consultation with Indian tribes
The Director, acting jointly with the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (acting through the Office of Justice
Services) and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall work with Indian tribes and tribal law
enforcement agencies to establish and implement such tribal data collection systems as the Director determines to
be necessary to achieve the purposes of this section.
2
8/14/2018
(e) Furnishing of information, data, or reports by Federal agencies
Federal agencies requested to furnish information, data, or reports pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(C) shall provide
such information to the Bureau as is required to carry out the purposes of this section.
(f) Consultation with representatives of State, tribal, and local government and judiciary
In recommending standards for gathering justice statistics under this section, the Director shall consult with
representatives of State, tribal, and local government, including, where appropriate, representatives of the judiciary.
(g) Reports
Not later than 1 year after July 29, 2010, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress a report
describing the data collected and analyzed under this section relating to crimes in Indian country.
(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, §302, as added Pub. L. 96–157, §2, Dec. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 1176 ; amended Pub. L. 98–473,
title II, §605(b), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2079 ; Pub. L. 100–690, title VI, §6092(a), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4339 ; Pub.
L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330001(h)(2), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2139 ; Pub. L. 109–162, title XI, §1115(a), Jan. 5,
2006, 119 Stat. 3103 ; Pub. L. 111–211, title II, §251(b), July 29, 2010, 124 Stat. 2297 ; Pub. L. 112–166, §2(h)(1), Aug.
10, 2012, 126 Stat. 1285 .)
REFERENCES IN TEXT
This Act, referred to in subsecs. (b) and (c)(11), is Pub. L. 90–351, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 197 , known as
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. For complete classification of this Act to the
Code, see Short Title of 1968 Act note set out under section 10101 of this title and Tables.
CODIFICATION
Section was formerly classified to section 3732 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to
editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.
PRIOR PROVISIONS
A prior section 302 of Pub. L. 90–351, title I, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 200 ; Pub. L. 93–83, §2, Aug. 6, 1973,
87 Stat. 201 ; Pub. L. 94–503, title I, §110, Oct. 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 2412 , related to establishment of State
planning agencies to develop comprehensive State plans for grants for law enforcement and criminal
justice purposes, prior to the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 96–157.
AMENDMENTS
2012-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–166 struck out ", by and with the advice and consent of the Senate" before
period at end of first sentence.
2010-Subsec. (c)(3) to (6). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(A), inserted "tribal," after "State," wherever
appearing.
Subsec. (c)(7). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(B), inserted "and in Indian country" after "States".
Subsec. (c)(9). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(C), substituted "Federal Government and State and tribal
governments" for "Federal and State Governments".
Subsec. (c)(10), (11). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(D), inserted ", tribal," after "State".
Subsec. (c)(13). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(E), inserted ", Indian tribes," after "States".
Subsec. (c)(17). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(F), substituted "activities at the Federal, State, tribal, and
local" for "activities at the Federal, State and local" and "generated by Federal, State, tribal, and local" for
"generated by Federal, State, and local".
Subsec. (c)(18). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(G), substituted "State, tribal, and local" for "State and
local".
Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(H), inserted "and tribal" after "State" in two places.
Subsec. (c)(20). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(I), inserted ", tribal," after "State".
Subsec. (c)(22). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(J), inserted ", tribal," after "Federal".
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(2), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted par. (1)
heading, substituted "To ensure" for "To insure", redesignated former pars. (1) to (6) as subpars. (A) to
(F), respectively, of par. (1), realigned margins, and added par. (2).
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(3), substituted "subsection (d)(1)(C)" for "subsection (d)(3)".
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(4)(B), inserted ", tribal," after "State".
Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(4)(A), which directed insertion of ", tribal," after "State" in heading, was
executed editorially but could not be executed in original because heading had been editorially supplied.
Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(5), added subsec. (g).
2006-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–162, §1115(a)(1), inserted after third sentence "The Director shall be
responsible for the integrity of data and statistics and shall protect against improper or illegal use or
disclosure."
Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 109–162, §1115(a)(2), amended par. (19) generally. Prior to amendment, par.
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(19) read as follows: "provide for research and improvements in the accuracy, completeness, and
inclusiveness of criminal history record information, information systems, arrest warrant, and stolen
vehicle record information and information systems and support research concerning the accuracy,
completeness, and inclusiveness of other criminal justice record information;".
Subsec. (d)(6). Pub. L. 109–162, §1115(a)(3), added par. (6).
1994-Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted a semicolon for period at end.
1988-Subsec. (c)(16) to (23). Pub. L. 100–690 added pars. (16) to (19) and redesignated former pars.
(16) to (19) as (20) to (23), respectively.
1984-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(1), inserted provision requiring Director to report to Attorney
General through Assistant Attorney General.
Subsec. (c)(13). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(A), (C), added par. (13) and struck out former par. (13)
relating to provision of financial and technical assistance to States and units of local government relating
to collection, analysis, or dissemination of justice statistics.
Subsec. (c)(14), (15). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(C), added pars. (14) and (15). Former pars. (14) and
(15) redesignated (16) and (17), respectively.
Subsec. (c)(16). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(A), (B), redesignated par. (14) as (16) and struck out former
par. (16) relating to insuring conformance with security and privacy regulations issued under section 10231
of this title.
Subsec. (c)(17). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(B), redesignated par. (15) as (17). Former par. (17)
redesignated (19).
Subsec. (c)(18). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(D), added par. (18).
Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(B), redesignated former par. (17) as (19).
Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(3)(A), inserted ", and to enter into agreements with such
agencies and instrumentalities for purposes of data collection and analysis".
Subsec. (d)(5). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(3)(B)–(D), added par. (5).
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2012 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 112–166 effective 60 days after Aug. 10, 2012, and applicable to appointments
made on and after that effective date, including any nomination pending in the Senate on that date, see
section 6(a) of Pub. L. 112–166, set out as a note under section 113 of Title 6, Domestic Security.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1984 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 98–473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 609AA(a) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out
as an Effective Date note under section 10101 of this title.
CONSTRUCTION OF 2010 AMENDMENT
Pub. L. 111–211, title II, §251(c), July 29, 2010, 124 Stat. 2298 , provided that: "Nothing in this section
[amending this section and section 41507 of this title] or any amendment made by this section"(1) allows the grant to be made to, or used by, an entity for law enforcement activities that the
entity lacks jurisdiction to perform; or
"(2) has any effect other than to authorize, award, or deny a grant of funds to a federally
recognized Indian tribe for the purposes described in the relevant grant program."
[For definition of "Indian tribe" as used in section 251(c) of Pub. L. 111–211, set out above, see section
203(a) of Pub. L. 111–211, set out as a note under section 2801 of Title 25, Indians.]
INCLUSION OF HONOR VIOLENCE IN NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY
Pub. L. 113–235, div. B, title II, Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2191 , provided in part: "That beginning not later
than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act [div. B of Pub. L. 113–235, Dec. 16, 2014], as part of
each National Crime Victimization Survey, the Attorney General shall include statistics relating to honor
violence".
STUDY OF CRIMES AGAINST SENIORS
Pub. L. 106–534, §5, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2557 , provided that:
"(a) IN GENERAL.-The Attorney General shall conduct a study relating to crimes against seniors, in order
to assist in developing new strategies to prevent and otherwise reduce the incidence of those crimes.
"(b) ISSUES ADDRESSED.-The study conducted under this section shall include an analysis of"(1) the nature and type of crimes perpetrated against seniors, with special focus on"(A) the most common types of crimes that affect seniors;
"(B) the nature and extent of telemarketing, sweepstakes, and repair fraud against seniors;
and
"(C) the nature and extent of financial and material fraud targeted at seniors;
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"(2) the risk factors associated with seniors who have been victimized;
"(3) the manner in which the Federal and State criminal justice systems respond to crimes against
seniors;
"(4) the feasibility of States establishing and maintaining a centralized computer database on the
incidence of crimes against seniors that will promote the uniform identification and reporting of such
crimes;
"(5) the effectiveness of damage awards in court actions and other means by which seniors
receive reimbursement and other damages after fraud has been established; and
"(6) other effective ways to prevent or reduce the occurrence of crimes against seniors."
INCLUSION OF SENIORS IN NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY
Pub. L. 106–534, §6, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2557 , provided that: "Beginning not later than 2 years after
the date of enactment of this Act [Nov. 22, 2000], as part of each National Crime Victimization Survey, the
Attorney General shall include statistics relating to"(1) crimes targeting or disproportionately affecting seniors;
"(2) crime risk factors for seniors, including the times and locations at which crimes victimizing
seniors are most likely to occur; and
"(3) specific characteristics of the victims of crimes who are seniors, including age, gender, race or
ethnicity, and socioeconomic status."
CRIME VICTIMS WITH DISABILITIES AWARENESS
Pub. L. 105–301, Oct. 27, 1998, 112 Stat. 2838 , as amended by Pub. L. 106–402, title IV, §401(b)(10), Oct.
30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1739 , provided that:
"SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
"This Act may be cited as the 'Crime Victims With Disabilities Awareness Act'.
"SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.
"(a) FINDINGS.-Congress finds that"(1) although research conducted abroad demonstrates that individuals with developmental
disabilities are at a 4 to 10 times higher risk of becoming crime victims than those without disabilities,
there have been no significant studies on this subject conducted in the United States;
"(2) in fact, the National Crime Victim's Survey, conducted annually by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics of the Department of Justice, does not specifically collect data relating to crimes against
individuals with developmental disabilities;
"(3) studies in Canada, Australia, and Great Britain consistently show that victims with
developmental disabilities suffer repeated victimization because so few of the crimes against them are
reported, and even when they are, there is sometimes a reluctance by police, prosecutors, and judges
to rely on the testimony of a disabled individual, making individuals with developmental disabilities a
target for criminal predators;
"(4) research in the United States needs to be done to"(A) understand the nature and extent of crimes against individuals with developmental
disabilities;
"(B) describe the manner in which the justice system responds to crimes against individuals
with developmental disabilities; and
"(C) identify programs, policies, or laws that hold promises for making the justice system more
responsive to crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities; and
"(5) the National Academy of Science Committee on Law and Justice of the National Research
Council is a premier research institution with unique experience in developing seminal, multidisciplinary
studies to establish a strong research base from which to make public policy.
"(b) PURPOSES.-The purposes of this Act are"(1) to increase public awareness of the plight of victims of crime who are individuals with
developmental disabilities;
"(2) to collect data to measure the extent of the problem of crimes against individuals with
developmental disabilities; and
"(3) to develop a basis to find new strategies to address the safety and justice needs of victims of
crime who are individuals with developmental disabilities.
"SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY.
"In this Act, the term 'developmental disability' has the meaning given the term in section 102 of the
Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 [42 U.S.C. 15002].
"SEC. 4. STUDY.
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"(a) IN GENERAL.-The Attorney General shall conduct a study to increase knowledge and information
about crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities that will be useful in developing new
strategies to reduce the incidence of crimes against those individuals.
"(b) ISSUES ADDRESSED.-The study conducted under this section shall address such issues as"(1) the nature and extent of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities;
"(2) the risk factors associated with victimization of individuals with developmental disabilities;
"(3) the manner in which the justice system responds to crimes against individuals with
developmental disabilities; and
"(4) the means by which States may establish and maintain a centralized computer database on
the incidence of crimes against individuals with disabilities within a State.
"(c) NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.-In carrying out this section, the Attorney General shall consider
contracting with the Committee on Law and Justice of the National Research Council of the National
Academy of Sciences to provide research for the study conducted under this section.
"(d) REPORT.-Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 27, 1998], the
Attorney General shall submit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of
Representatives a report describing the results of the study conducted under this section.
"SEC. 5. NATIONAL CRIME VICTIM'S SURVEY.
"Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, as part of each National Crime Victim's
Survey, the Attorney General shall include statistics relating to"(1) the nature of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities; and
"(2) the specific characteristics of the victims of those crimes."
6
Attachment 5
Attachment 6
BJS Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO)
Cognitive Test Report
NORC, NAPD, the Urban Institute, and Dr. Andrew Davies
August 2024
________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
Introduction
Questionnaire Development
Respondent Selection and Recruitment for CPDO Pretest
Data Collection Procedures
Results and Recommendations
Appendix A: Census of Public Defenders Offices (CPDO) questionnaire
Appendix B: Contact Scripts to Participate in CPDO Pretest and Cognitive Interviews
Appendix C: CPDO Pretest Cognitive Interview Script
_____________________________________________________________
Introduction
The Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) is the second iteration of a project by the Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS) to collect informative metrics from all public defender offices operating in the
United States. Last administered in 2007, the CPDO enhances understanding about public defender office
operations and supplements the BJS portfolio of data collections on various aspects of indigent defense.
To collect this information, BJS is working with the National Opinion Research Center at the University
of Chicago, the National Association for Public Defense, the Urban Institute, and Dr. Andrew Davies on
this census data collection. The CPDO project is intended to collect information focused on key
operational aspects of public defense offices in each county and state in the United States.
The population of interest is all public defender offices funded through public funds that represent
indigent clients in criminal cases. This includes specialty offices, such as conflict defender offices (those
that take cases where the public defender office has a conflict of interest, such as representing codefendants accused of the same crime); appellate or post-conviction public defender offices; and capital
case public defender offices. Nonprofit organizations that provide public defense through a contract with
a state or local government employing at least one W-2 wage-earning attorney who provides direct
representation to clients also are considered public defender offices.
The primary purpose of the CPDO is to collect information about the operations of public defender
offices. A diverse panel of indigent defense experts contributed to the development of the CPDO
questionnaire. The census aims to collect information on emerging issues while also maintaining
consistency with the 2007 CPDO to allow comparisons over time. The information collected by the
CPDO includes caseloads and case types; staff sizes and roles; staff attrition and turnover; attorney
training, office budgets and expenditures, financial qualifications for public defense services, and public
defender salaries.
1
The full CPDO census will be fielded nationally to all public defender offices in the United States in late
2024. To pilot the census, the project team conducted a pretest of the CPDO on a small sample of 12
public defender offices from February - June 2024. This pretest provided an opportunity to cognitively
test the CPDO questionnaire by obtaining feedback from respondents about the survey content,
questionnaire construction, response options, and burden. This report describes the development and
piloting of the CPDO pretest that was conducted this Spring. Recommendations for survey and data
collection revisions are included.
Questionnaire Development
For the design and development phase of the CPDO questionnaire, BJS and the project team assembled
an expert panel composed of chief public defenders, public defense experts, and other public defense
professionals in the field. BJS and the project team convened an all-day in-person meeting of this expert
panel on July 25, 2023 to discuss content domains, survey development, and questionnaire construction
for the CPDO. The panel included the following 13 individuals who provided valuable information and
commentary on the content and design of the CPDO data collection instrument:
Ibukun Adepoju
Public Defender, New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender
Jon Bartleson
CIO at the Committee for Public Counsel Services, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Deepak Budwani
Assistant Department Leader/Chief Financial & Administrative Officer
Santa Barbara Couty Public Defender’s Office
Alex Bunin
Chief Public Defender, Harris County, Texas
Mary Fox
Director of Missouri State Public Defender System
Keisha Hudson
Deputy Chief Defender
Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Galit Lipa
Executive Director of the Indigent Defense Improvement Division
Office of State Public Defender in California
Carlos J. Martinez
Elected Public Defender, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Elizabeth Miller
Assistant Director of the Office of the Ohio Public Defender
2
Marcie Ryba
Executive Director, Nevada Department of Indigent Defender
Jonathan Sacks
Director, Michigan State Appellate Defender Office (SADO)
Dr. Erik Stilling
Information Technology Management Officer, Louisiana State Public Defender Board
Nikhil Ramnaney
Senior Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Access to Justice
After feedback from BJS and the aforementioned experts was incorporated, the updated draft CPDO
instrument was circulated, and any additional input was requested by email or phone calls from these
individuals. The draft survey was then formatted to align with other similar census data collections
conducted by BJS. The formatted questionnaire was reviewed by BJS staff and suggested formatting
changes were implemented over a ten-week period.
Respondent Selection and Recruitment
In determining which offices to select to participate in the CPDO pretest and cognitive interviewing, BJS
and the project team considered the major structural and contextual differences in public defense offices
across the country and developed a list of characteristics to include when selecting cognitive participants.
The different office profiles could influence the availability and accessibility of financial and institutional
data. Thus, the project team sought to include at least one office from each of these categories, to identify
whether there are barriers in the survey instrument for offices that fit into each subset/stratum. Selected
offices could fulfill more than one criterion (e.g., an urban office with an elected public defender).
Additionally, we endeavored to select geographically diverse offices across the country.
The project identified 18 offices to conduct the pretest, based on the following criteria/office types:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Single county office in a county-based public defense state
Multi-county office in a county-based public defense state
Single county office in a state with public defense districts/circuits
Multi-county office in a state with public defense districts/circuits
Statewide office
Office in a U.S. territory/county equivalent
Office in an independent city
Office with a mix of state/county funding
Contracted non-profit
Office in an urban jurisdiction
Office in a rural jurisdiction
Office with an elected public defender
Alternate/conflict defender
Contracted non-profit office
Juvenile office
Capital defense office
3
•
•
Appellate only office
Mental health office
The 18 public defender offices that were invited to participate in the pretest of the CPDO questionnaire
were located in the jurisdictions specified in the table below, which notes the office type and participation
status for each invited office. An additional office (office #19) was contacted by mistake but agreed to
participate, so we decided to include it in the pretest as well. There were also 2 alternate offices (office
#20, and #21) that were additionally selected to replace offices which declined participation in the CPDO
pretest. The 11 offices highlighted in blue below were the offices that fully participated in the pretest (i.e.,
these offices returned a completed survey and participated in a debriefing interview with the project
team).
Office
State
Office Type
Status
1
Lawrence County Public
Defender
SD
Single-county office in a
county-based public
defense state
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interivew
2
SW Oregon Public
Defender
OR
Multi-county office in a
county-based defense state
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
3
9th Circuit Public Defender WV
Single-county office in a
state with districts/circuits
No response
4
6th Circuit Public Defender FL
Multi-county office in a
state with districts/circuits
No response
5
Ketchikan Office
AK
Office in statewide system
No response
6
Knox County Public
Defender
TN
Office with a mix of
state/county funding
DECLINED participation
7
Still She Rises
OK
Contracted non-profit
No response
8
Neighborhood Defender
Services (Harlem)
NY
Office in an urban
jurisdiction
Completed and returned
questionnaire but declined
cognitive debriefing interview
9
Far West Texas Regional
Public Defender
TX
Office in a rural
jurisdiction
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
10
San Francisco County
Public Defender
CA
Office with an elected
public defender
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
4
11
Capital Trial Office Norman
OK
Capital defense office
No response
12
Wyoming Defender –
Appellate Office
WY
Appellate-only office
No response
13
State Appellate Defender
Office
MI
Office with a statewide
jurisdiction
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
14
North Carolina Office of
the Juvenile Defender
NC
Juvenile office
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
15
Wisconsin Public
Defender – Milwaukee
Juvenile/Mental Health
WI
Mental health office
No response
16
Humboldt County
Alternate Defender
NV
Alternate/conflict defender
DECLINED participation
17
Richmond Public
Defender
VA
Office in an independent
city
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
18
Public Defender Service
Corporation of Guam
GU
Office in a U.S.
territory/county equivalent
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
19
Yates County Public
Defender
NY
Single-county office in a
county-based public
defense state
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
20
Caddo Parish
LA
Office with a mix of
state/county funding
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
CA
Alternate/conflict defender
Completed and returned
questionnaire and participated
in cognitive interview
(Replacement for #6)
21
Mendocino County
(Replacement for #16)
The project team completed cognitive testing of the CPDO instrument between February and June of
2024. A total of 12 offices participated in the pretest of the census by returning completed responses for
the CPDO questionnaire. Of those 12 offices, the project team conducted cognitive debriefing interviews
with 11 offices (highlighted in blue, above). The chief public defender at the 12th office (office #8)
completed the questionnaire for her office but notified the project team that she could not participate in a
5
cognitive interview since she was leaving the employ of the public defender office the day after
completing the questionnaire.
As discussed above, BJS and the project team sought to test the instrument on a variety of office types,
while also ensuring geographically diversity. In the end, the 11 offices who completed the CPDO
instrument and participated in cognitive testing represented the following subsets/office types:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Single county office in a county-based public defense state
Multi-county office in a county-based public defense state
Juvenile office
Office in a U.S. territory/county equivalent
Office within a statewide jurisdiction
Office in a rural jurisdiction
Office in an independent city
Office with a mix of state/county funding
Office in an urban jurisdiction
Alternate/conflict defender
Office with an elected public defender
Data Collection Procedures
For the public defender offices that were selected for inclusion in the CPDO pretest sample, we sent an
initial email to the office leader/chief public defender inviting them to participate and informing them
about the purpose of the survey and cognitive test (Attachment B). The email was sent by a project team
member via NORC’s dedicated CPDO email account ([email protected]). This invitation email provided
the elements of informed consent and described the voluntary nature of the study, how the respondent
office was selected, and information about whom to contact with questions about the study. The
respondent was asked to reply to the email to indicate their consent for participation.
If a potential participant was unresponsive to the initial email, the project team followed up with phone
calls to request participation. If the invited participant refused/declined, or we were unable to secure their
participation, we identified a replacement office that matched the initial respondent’s selection criteria
and invited that office to participate instead. The project team followed a similar protocol if a
respondent’s consent was initially secured and then withdrawn (or if the participant simply did not follow
through to complete the questionnaire within a reasonable timeframe).
After obtaining consent, respondents received the PDF questionnaire (Attachment A) along with
instructions (i.e., how to complete it, the voluntary nature of the survey, the importance of noting
challenges experienced during the survey, and the expected length of time to complete the survey -- see
Attachment B) via email and U.S. mail. Respondents were instructed to:
1. complete the survey by highlighting their answers in Adobe, if they were able to, and return via
email; or
2. print out the survey, complete and scan the survey to return via email; or
3. complete the hard copy and return via self-addressed stamped envelope.
Respondents were asked to track the time they started and finished the survey as well as the number of
individuals consulted to complete the questionnaire. The pilot survey also included an optional notes
section at the end to record item numbers of challenging or unclear questions. If a respondent found that a
6
question was too difficult or would require too much time to answer, the respondent was asked to estimate
the time it would take to answer the question, note that, and proceed to the next question.
Participants were asked to complete the questionnaire and return their survey responses by a specific date
that was 2 weeks from the date the survey was sent to them. For those offices that did not complete the
survey by the provided deadline, follow-up phone calls were made, and emails were sent reminding them
to return their completed survey as soon as possible. Upon receipt of a completed survey, a project team
member reached out to the respondent via email to schedule the cognitive debriefing interview, which
was conducted via zoom videoconference.
The debriefing interviews included a review of the instructions and screener questions and asked about
readability, question clarity, adequacy of response choices, overall ease of providing the requested
information, and the terminology used for each question. The burden/length of time needed to complete
the survey, challenges in providing the information requested, and the preferred mode of completing the
survey were also discussed in these cognitive interviews. Results were recorded by Urban Institute staff
members conducting the debriefing call and reviewed following the call for accuracy and completeness.
Findings and Recommendations
General Findings
All offices reported that it was not difficult for them to complete the questionnaire overall, except for
providing the actual numbers of cases received (by case types) over the past year. Most offices indicated
that it would take extra time for them to answer questions about the exact number of specific types of
cases received (even for those offices with automated case management systems), if that were required.
Accordingly, most of the numerical figures about case types reported by the pilot respondents were
estimates. The option to estimate these case numbers rather than requiring exact counts was a choice that
was appreciated by participants (and it reduced the burden on respondents).
During the interviews, the offices were asked about the best mode in which to contact them for the
census. Most offices reported that communication by e-mail was favored, with a preference for follow-up
outreach by e-mail as well (though follow-up phone calls and voicemails were also deemed acceptable).
There was a consensus among respondents that email is the best method to use for outreach to offices.
Even so, it is important to note that two of the 12 office that participated in the CPDO pilot test were
responsive to mailings by U.S. post and chose to mail in hard copies of their census responses via U.S.
mail. We therefore suggest a multi-mode follow-up protocol that includes e-mail, phone calls, and U.S.
mail, in that order, to maximize response.
A few respondents indicated that clarifying the purpose of the census and better explaining the tangible
benefits of the data collection to public defender offices would likely increase the response rate to the
questionnaire. It was suggested that we include this type of information in the initial email inviting offices
to respond, or perhaps include it as an attachment. If offices understood that the data collected could yield
direct benefits to them (e.g., that the national data could be used by public defenders to make the case to
their state legislatures about the need for more resources for their offices), response rates could improve.
7
Response time. Overall, it took longer than anticipated to receive completed surveys back from
respondents and to schedule and conduct follow-up debriefing interviews with respondents. The initial
due date in the cover letter requesting that the office participate was two weeks out for each office. To
maximize response rates for the national data collection, we suggest communicating to offices that they
have 3 or 4 weeks to complete the survey, though we expect a total period of 16-20 weeks may be
necessary to conduct targeted follow-up with certain non-responders in order to achieve the highest
response rates that are required of a census. We recommend building in a little extra time to account for
any extenuating circumstances (i.e., prosecution of an urgent, high priority or complex case) that the
respondent in a public defender office may be facing at the time that the CPDO instrument is sent to them.
We heard from several offices that we reached out to that they wanted to respond to our questionnaire, but
simply could not do so in a timely manner due to the extenuating circumstances confronting their office at
the time (e.g., a large, high priority time-consuming case).
Nevertheless, we asked offices if a due date might encourage a faster response. Pilot respondents reported
overwhelmingly that a due date would prevent the survey from being deprioritized by their office and
recommended including one. Accordingly, we suggest providing an initial due date for the completion of
the survey that is either 3 or 4 weeks out when it is fielded nationally, even though it is likely that a
certain share of offices may not be able to meet that initial deadline due to extenuating circumstances
(such as those mentioned above).
Burden. The estimated time to complete the CPDO survey reported by offices participating in the pretest
ranged from a minimum of 15 minutes to a maximum of 2 hours, with an average time burden of
approximately 61.6 minutes per office. The table below shows the survey completion time reported by
each participating office.
Office
State
Office Type
Time to Complete the
Questionnaire
1
Lawrence County Public
Defender
SD
Single-county office in a
county-based public
defense state
52 minutes
2
SW Oregon Public
Defender
OR
Multi-county office in a
county-based defense state
75 minutes
8
Neighborhood Defender
Services (Harlem)
NY
Office in an urban
jurisdiction
39 minutes
9
Far West Texas Regional
Public Defender
TX
Office in a rural
jurisdiction
41 minutes
10
San Francisco County
Public Defender
CA
Office with an elected
public defender
90 minutes
8
13
State Appellate Defender
Office
MI
Office with a statewide
jurisdiction
51 minutes
14
North Carolina Office of
the Juvenile Defender
NC
Juvenile office
15 minutes
17
Richmond Public
Defender
VA
Office in an independent
city
80 minutes
18
Public Defender Service
Corporation of Guam
GU
Office in a U.S.
territory/county equivalent
90 minutes
19
Yates County Public
Defender
NY
Single-county office in a
county-based public
defense state
60 minutes
20
Caddo Parish
LA
Office with a mix of
state/county funding
27 minutes
CA
Alternate/conflict defender
120 minutes
(Replacement for #6)
21
Mendocino County
(Replacement for #16)
Based on the average time that pilot test respondents reported to complete the CPDO questionnaire, we
suggest retaining the time burden estimate of 60 minutes for completing the instrument (to be included in
the burden statement on the instrument when the census is fielded nationally).
Specific Findings and Recommendations
Based on the feedback received from respondents in the in-depth debriefing interviews, we recommend
the following changes to the census instrument, which are organized by section.
Instructions and Screener Questions. By and large, pilot test respondents indicated that the instructions
and screener questions at the front of the census instrument were clearly stated and appropriate, but there
were a couple of exceptions. Regarding the instructions, one cognitive test respondent indicated that he
was confused about whether he needed to fill out the questionnaire once or twice – since in his
jurisdiction, he is simultaneously the head of both a public defender office and a conflict defender office.
The project team recommended that to avoid this confusion, Instruction #3 be amended to add the
following text: “If you are the head of more than one public defender office, you should receive multiple
solicitations for this survey: we ask that you fill out one questionnaire for each office. If you need more
copies of the questionnaire, please contact the CPDO team via email at [email protected].” Regarding the
screener questions, one cognitive test respondent suggested that we avoid using italicized font in the
screener questions because people tend to not read such text. However, since it is standard practice for
BJS to use italicized instructions within a survey question for examples of what to include or exclude, the
9
project team recommends leaving the italicized text intact within the screener questions section.
Relatedly, the project team also recommended moving the parenthetical content out of the parentheses in
screener questions S4, S6, and S7 and italicize it instead.
General Information. Section A of the CPDO captures general information about oversight, funding, and
the total operating expenditures for each public defender office. Based on the cognitive test responses,
several revisions were made as described below, and two new questions were added to this section. For
item A1, the first response option was edited from “An entire state” to “An entire state or United States
territory”. For items A2, A3, A5, and A6, the “don’t know” response option was eliminated. For items
A5 and A6, response options were revised to the following four choices: “Yes, both overseen and
funded”, “Yes, overseen but not funded”, “Yes, funded but not overseen”, and “No, neither funded nor
overseen”. For item A6, the question text was revised to read as follows: “Is your office overseen or
funded, in whole or in part, by a body other than at the state-level? Mark (X) only one.)”. In addition, the
following two new questions about the unionization of attorneys and staff were added and placed between
questions A8 and A9:
First new question:
“To the best of your knowledge, do any attorney or non-attorney staff in your office belong to a
labor union, whether the union is recognized or unrecognized? (A labor union is an organized
association of workers, often in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights
and interests)”
- Yes, some attorney and/or non-attorney staff belong to a labor union
- No, no attorney and/or non-attorney staff belong to a labor union
- I don’t know
Second new question:
“[If yes]
Which of the following best describes the labor unions that your attorney and/or non- attorney
staff belong to?”
- Some attorney and/or non-attorney staff belong to a single labor union
- Some attorney and/or non-attorney staff belong to more than one labor union
- Attorney staff only belong to a single labor union
- Attorney staff only belong to multiple labor unions
- Non-attorney staff only belong to a single labor union
- Non-attorney staff only belong to multiple labor unions
- I don’t know
The question text for item A10 was revised to add the word “criminal” to the final clause, so that it reads:
“provide services to defendants in court-appointed criminal cases”. This change was made because there
were some cognitive test respondents who engaged in representation of other types of clients that
mistakenly thought they should include expenditures on that other work in the budget number they
provided to answer this question. Also, based on feedback from cognitive test respondents, two new
response options were added for item A11: (g) Attorney training and (h) Rent for office space. Finally, for
item A12, response choice (e) was revised from “Private funds” to “Fees charged to clients for
representation”. We learned that public defenders rarely receive other private funding – the only
instances where we know this happens is in prominent non-profit organizations that run indigent defense
10
services in New York City (these organizations occasionally hold galas to raise money). The project team
determined that such funding would be better categorized under response (f) Other (please describe).
Staffing. Section B of the CPDO captures information about staffing in public defender offices, including
attorney demographics. Based on cognitive test feedback, several revisions were made to item response
categories and a new question was added to this section. First, for line item B1(a), a decision was made to
include the chief public defender, so the new text reads: “Attorneys, including the chief public defender,
with management or supervisory responsibilities over other attorneys”. As a quality control measure, if a
respondent does not enter any value in B1(a), we recommend adding a soft prompt to ask: “Are you sure
this is correct? Remember, the chief public defender should be included in these numbers” (the
respondent will be able to confirm that it is, in fact, correct and continue, or the respondent could revise
their response). Regarding questions B2 & B3, cognitive testers reported that requests for gender and race
could be sensitive. Some reporters may not be able to, or may feel they are not permitted, to report such
data. To address these concerns, we recommend adding the screener question below, inserting it right
before item B2, that asks:
“Are you able to report race and gender demographics for staff in your office?”
-Yes, gender (Respondent will be directed to answer question B2 regarding gender).
-Yes, race (Respondent will be directed to answer question B3 regarding race).
-Yes, both (Respondent will be directed to answer questions B2 & B3 (race and gender)).
- No (Respondent skips to item B4).
Several cognitive test respondents objected that including only male/female options for this question was
insufficient. Building on OMB’s advice about surveys of individuals, we therefore suggest reformulating
item B2 to create an option to report any persons not conforming to the gender binary.
“Of the sum of B1a and B1b full-time attorneys and sum of B1a and B1b part-time attorneys in
your office on December 31, 2023, what was the breakdown of all attorney staff by gender on
December 31, 2023?”
a. Female
b. Male
c. Transgender, non-binary, or another gender
On each of these line items (a-c for item B2, and a-h for item B3), we also recommend adding “Unable to
provide” as a response option. This accounts for respondents who, for example, can report the
female/male breakdown only, or do not have data specifically on Hispanic ethnicity, but can report other
race categories. For item B6, which asks for the minimum and maximum salary for various staff
positions, we will add the word “annual” before salaries in the question text to clarify that we would like
annual salaries reported for this item. We also learned that the question text for item B7 regarding staff
attrition is poorly worded (several cognitive testers reported that it made no sense as written). Therefore,
item B7 will be reworded by adding “at any time during the calendar year 2023 (January 1, 2023 –
December 31, 2023) in place of “as of December 31, 2023”. In addition, based on cognitive test feedback,
we are adding another response option (“Chair of state-level board or commission”) for item B9, the
question about the final authority that selects the chief public defender for the office.
Caseloads. Section C of the CPDO census records caseload information for public defender offices.
Based on feedback received about the inadequacy of response options for question C1, which asks about
case types or categories, we recommend adding another category for ‘life without parole’, which will be
11
inserted as a row between (a) and (b) and then the subsequent list will be renumbered. The revised
categories will appear as follows:
(a) Capital felony (including death penalty-eligible cases not ultimately prosecuted as capital cases)
(b) Non-capital cases where life without parole is an available sentence (whether or not it is imposed)
(c) Non-capital felony cases where the maximum sentence is less than life without parole (including
traffic felonies)
(d) Misdemeanors...continue existing list of categories/rows
Based on additional input from several cognitive test respondents, we also recommend adding another
category (’Failure to pay child support’) to the list of case types and place it between existing items (s)
(child protection) and (t) (civil commitment of sex offenders). There was one cognitive test respondent
who suggested adding ‘Children in Need of Supervision’ (CHINS) as a separate category, but we declined
to do this because CHINS is not a universally understood term across the country, and it is redundant with
other categories. Like item C1 regarding whether certain case types were handled by an office, for item
C3, which asks for the numbers of cases received for different case types, we recommend adding a ‘life
without parole’ category, which will be inserted as a row between (a) and (b) and then the subsequent list
will be renumbered. The revised categories we recommend should appear as follows:
(a) Capital felony (including death penalty-eligible cases not ultimately prosecuted as capital cases)
(b) Non-capital cases where life without parole is an available sentence (whether or not it is imposed)
(c) Non-capital felony cases where the maximum sentence is less than life without parole (including
traffic felonies)
(d) Misdemeanors...continue existing list of categories/rows
From recommendations we received from several cognitive test respondents, under item C3(i), we
suggest adding “failure to pay child support” to the list of case types in the parenthetical for “All other
case types”.
Eligibility for Services. Section D of the census collects information from prosecutor offices about
eligibility for services. As a result of cognitive test feedback we received, for the first question in this
section (item D1), we are adding a third response option (“Not applicable – no screening process is used
for persons seeking representation from our office”). Any respondent who selects ‘Not applicable’ will
skip to question D5. And for item D2 (financial eligibility criteria), we will add another column (“Some
courts consider, others do not”) to account for variety within jurisdictions in eligibility determination
procedures. This change is being made based on recommendations from cognitive test respondents. We
are also adding the phrase “to the best of your knowledge” to the D2 question text (‘To the best of your
knowledge, which of the following information is used to assess whether a defendant is financially
qualified to receive appointed counsel in your jurisdiction?’). Finally, based on feedback from
respondents, we are rephrasing question D4 to focus on how a person qualifies for counsel rather than
how a person is denied counsel. The new question text will read: “As of December 31, 2023, what was
the income limit below which an applicant for representation in a non-capital felony case with no
dependents would routinely qualify for court-appointed counsel?”.
Office Resources. The final section of the census (Section E) captures information about office resources
within public defender offices. Regarding question E1 about office policies, we heard from cognitive test
12
respondents that two important office policies (‘leave policy’ and ‘professional development policy’)
were missing from our list of policies for this item, so we recommend adding those two policies to our list
for this question, as items E1(q) and E1(r). In addition, one respondent reported that the use of the word
“communication” in item E7(h) was unclear/too vague. Therefore, we recommend replacing the phrase
“stores all communication” with “stores information about communication with clients” for this item, to
eliminate confusion.
13
Appendix A
Census of Public Defenders Offices (CPDO) questionnaire
14
OMB No.: 1121-0339
U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics
(NORC acting as data collection agent)
2023 Census of Public Defender Offices
Name:__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Title: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of office:___________________________________________________________________________________________
Direct email:_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Direct phone:_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Instructions
The 2023 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) is a census of all publicly funded public defender offices with at least one
(1) W-2 earning attorney that provides direct public defense representation for adults and/or juveniles who are accused of a crime
or delinquency or accused in a trial court of violating conditions of a sentence. Data collected on this form will provide needed
information to state and local governments, practitioners, and other stakeholders. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) greatly
appreciates your assistance.
1. There are multiple ways to complete and submit this survey. Please select the method most suitable for you:
a. Complete the survey by highlighting your answers in Adobe, if you are able to, save and email back to [email protected].
b. Print out the survey, complete by hand, scan and return to [email protected] via email.
c. Complete the hard copy of the survey that will arrive at your office in the next week and return either via scanning and
emailing to [email protected] or through the provided self-addressed stamped envelope.
2. When completing the survey, please take notes separately or on page 11 to provide feedback on questions that:
a. are unclear
b. require input from multiple staff in order to provide a response to
c. are a high time burden
3. Please answer all questions with reference to the public defender office specified above.
4. Answer the questions as accurately as possible given the organization and structure of your office. Estimates are allowed. If
any question is overly burdensome, you may skip the question and provide your best estimate as to how long it would take
to answer it.
Once the project team has received your response, we will reach out via email to schedule your cognitive interview. If you have
questions or need assistance in completing the survey, please contact the CPDO team via email at [email protected].
Burden Statement
This collection is authorized under 34 U.S.C. § 10132. Your participation is voluntary. BJS will use the information only for statistical purposes [34
U.S.C. § 10134]. BJS will protect personally identifiable information consistent with the confidentiality requirements in 34 U.S.C. § 10231 and 28
CFR Part 22. See the BJS Data Protection Guidelines.
This collection has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Number: 1121-0339). If this number were not displayed, we
could not conduct this survey. Your voluntary participation in this survey is important, however, you may decline to answer any or all questions.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
You can contact the Bureau of Justice Statistics with questions or feedback at [email protected]; by phone at 202-307-0765; or by mail: Bureau of
Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20531.
Screener Questions
Time of day starting survey: ________
The first series of questions will confirm your office’s eligibility for the census. (Mark (X) only one choice per row.)
Yes
No
S1. Is your office supported, either partially or fully, by public funds? (Funding that comes from federal,
state or local government, often collected through taxes and used toward public goods and services.)
¢
¢
S2. Does your office have at least one W-2 earning attorney? (A W-2 earning attorney is an attorney who
is formally employed by a company or organization and who receives a W-2 tax form each year to
report their income and taxes withheld.)
¢
¢
S3. Does your office provide public defense representation for adult or juvenile clients who are accused
of a crime or delinquency, or accused in a trial court of violating conditions of a sentence?
¢
¢
S4. Does your office have a dedicated physical space? (A place that some or all staff may use for work.)
¢
¢
If you answered ‘No’ to any S1 – S4, please stop here. Your office does not meet our eligibility criteria for this census, but we thank you
for your time. If you have any questions about eligibility, or believe you were screened out in error, please contact [email protected] or
1-866-582-4052.
If all your answers to S1 - S4 were ‘Yes’ please continue the survey.
Yes
No
S5. Is your office a for-profit private law firm?
¢
¢
S6. Does your office provide representation solely using an assigned counsel system? (An assigned
counsel system provides representation using private attorneys who are not employed by the office,
except possibly as contractors.)
¢
¢
S7. Is your office a tribal defender? (A tribal defender provides representation only to defendants in
tribal justice systems.)
¢
¢
If you answered ‘Yes’ to any S5 – S7, please stop here. Your office does not meet our eligibility criteria for this census, but we thank you
for your time. If you have any questions about eligibility, or believe you were screened out in error, please contact [email protected] or
1-866-582-4052.
If all your answers to S5 – S7 were ‘No’ please continue the survey.
If you answered 5 – Part of a county (e.g., city or town), please
stop here. Your office does not meet our eligibility criteria for this
census, but we thank you for your time. If you have any questions
about eligibility, or believe you were screened out in error, please
contact [email protected] or 1-866-582-4052.
Section A. General Information
A1. What is the geographic jurisdiction served by
your public defender office?
n An entire state
n Multiple counties, an entire judicial district or
1
A2. Is your public defender office the primary
office in your jurisdiction? By ‘primary office’ we
mean an office that is assigned more criminal and
juvenile delinquency cases or other court-appointed
cases than any other public defender office. (Mark
(X) only one.)
2
circuit larger than a single county
If your public defender office serves multiple
counties, what are the names of the counties
served?
n Yes
n No
3
n Don't know
1
2
A3. Is your public defender office a conflict
office? By ‘conflict office’ we mean an office that
is assigned cases when another public defender
office has a conflict of interest. (Mark (X) only one.)
n An entire county
4
n County equivalent
5
n Part of a county (e.g., city or town)
6
n Other (Describe)
3
n Yes
n No
3
n Don't know
1
2
1
A4. Which best describes your public defender
office? (Mark (X) only one.)
A9. The reference period for this survey’s
questions about finances is fiscal year (FY)
2023. Please indicate your office’s FY 2023.
(Mark (X) only one.)
n Part of the state or county judicial branch
n Part of the state or county executive branch
3
n A nonprofit organization
4
n Other (Describe)
1
2
n Calendar year (January 1, 2023-December 31,
1
2023)
July
1, 2022 to June 30, 2023
n
3
n Other (If other, please indicate the dates below):
2
Month_____ -Day_____ -Year_______
to
Month_____ -Day_____ -Year_______
A5. Is your office overseen or funded, in whole or
in part, by a state-level board or commission?
(Mark (X) only one.)
USE THIS REFERENCE PERIOD FOR
QUESTIONS THAT ASK ABOUT FY 2023
n Yes
n No
3
n Don't know
1
2
A10. In your office’s FY 2023, how much did your
office spend (i.e., what was your office’s total
operating expenditures) to provide services to
defendants in court-appointed cases? (If you
are unable to provide the actual amount, please
provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the
estimate check box.)
A6. Is your office overseen or funded, in whole or
in part, by a board or commission other than at
the state-level? (Mark (X) only one.)
n Yes
n No (If no, Skip to A9)
3
n Don't know
1
2
TOTAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES:
$_______________________________ .00
A7. Which of the following best describes the role
of the non-state-level board or commission
in the following decisions? (Mark (X) only one
choice per row.)
a. Determines
attorney
practice
standards for
the office
b. Determines the
total amount
of the office’s
budget
c. Determines
policy priorities
for the office
n Esimate (Est)
n Don't know (skip to A13)
1
2
Has a
Is the final limited (e.g.,
decision- advisory) Has no Don’t
maker
role
role know
¢
¢
¢
A11. Which of the following are included in your
total operating expenditures entered in A10?
(Mark (X) only one choice per row.)
¢
Yes
a. Salaries for personnel
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
b. Fringe benefits for
personnel (e.g., health
benefits, retirement)
¢
c. Contracting costs
(e.g., expert witness
compensation)
d. One-time capital
costs (e.g., building
construction, major
equipment purchase)
e. Supplies, materials (e.g.,
office supplies)
f. Utilities & services (e.g.,
water, heat, security, I.T.
support)
¢
A8. Who appoints the members of the non-statelevel board or commission? (Mark (X) only one
choice per row.)
Yes
No
Don't
know
a. Governor
¢
¢
¢
b. State Legislature
¢
¢
¢
c. Supreme Court
¢
¢
¢
d. County Commission
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
e. Other (please describe)
2
N/A, no
such
No spending
Don’t
know
1
¢
2
¢
3
¢
4
¢
1
¢
2
¢
3
¢
4
¢
1
¢
2
¢
3
¢
4
¢
1
¢
2
¢
3
¢
4
¢
1
¢
2
¢
3
¢
4
¢
1
¢
2
¢
3
¢
4
¢
A12. What percentage of the total operating
expenditures entered in A10 came directly from
each of the following sources? (If you are unable
to provide the actual percentage, please provide
your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate
check box. If none, enter “0”.)
Percentage Source
a. State
Percentage (%)
1
b. County
1
c. City or town
1
d. Federal government
(including Byrne Justice
Assistance Grants)
e. Private funds (e.g., client
contributions to cost of
representation, charitable
donations)
f. Other (please describe)
A13. Is the primary funding source for your public
defender office an awarded contract? (Mark (X)
only one.)
n Yes
n No (If no, Skip to B1)
1
2
A14. Was the contract process competitive?
(Mark (X) only one.)
Est
¢
n Yes
n No
1
2
¢
¢
1
¢
1
¢
1
¢
100% TOTAL
Section B. Staffing
B1. Including the chief public defender, how many of the following types of paid employees worked in your
public defender office on December 31, 2023? (“Part-time” refers to any individual who regularly works fewer
hours than the office’s standard work week. If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide your
best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.)
Number of
full‑time
Est
Number of
part‑time
Est
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
¢
¢
b. Attorneys with no management or supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
¢
¢
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess client needs,
prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of licensing credentials)
¢
¢
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual investigation of cases)
¢
¢
e. Paralegals
¢
¢
f. All other staff (including administrators, support staff, IT, human resources,
and all others)
¢
¢
Total attorneys (sum of rows a and b)
3
B2. Of the sum of B1a and B1b full-time attorneys and sum of B1a and B1b part-time attorneys in your office
on December 31, 2023, what was the breakdown of all attorney staff by gender on December 31, 2023?
(If you are able to provide estimated numbers only, please mark (X) in the estimate check box. If you are unable
to provide any numbers, please check ‘Unable to provide this information.’ If none, enter “0”.)
Number of
full‑time
attorneys
Est
Number of
part‑time
attorneys
Est
a. Female
¢
¢
b. Male
¢
¢
¢ Unable to provide this information
B3. Of the sum of B1a and B1b full-time attorneys and sum of B1a and B1b part-time attorneys in your
office on December 31, 2023, what was the breakdown of all attorney staff by race and ethnicity on
December 31, 2023? (If you are able to provide estimated numbers only, please mark (X) in the estimate check
box. If you are unable to provide any numbers, please check ‘Unable to provide this information.’ If none, enter
“0”.)
Number of
full‑time
attorneys
Est
Number of
part‑time
attorneys
Est
a. White (non-Hispanic)
¢
¢
b. Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
¢
¢
c. Hispanic
¢
¢
d. American Indian or Alaska Native (non-Hispanic)
¢
¢
e. Asian (non-Hispanic)
¢
¢
f. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic)
¢
¢
g. Two or more races
¢
¢
h. Not known
¢
¢
¢ Unable to provide this information
B4. Of the sum of B1a and B1b full-time attorneys, and sum of B1a and B1b part-time attorneys on staff, how
many are litigating attorneys as of December 31, 2023? (Litigating attorneys carry a caseload.) (If you are
unable to provide the actual number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If
none, enter “0”.)
Number of full‑time attorneys
¢ Est
Number of part‑time attorneys
¢ Est
B5. Of the sum of B1a and B1b full-time attorneys, and sum of B1a and B1b part-time attorneys on staff, how
many had been employed at your office for more than three years as of December 31, 2023? (If you are
unable to provide the actual number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If
none, enter “0”.)
Number of full‑time attorneys
¢ Est
Number of part‑time attorneys
¢ Est
4
B6. Please enter the minimum and maximum salaries your office paid as of December 31, 2023 for staff in
the following categories:
Category
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities over
other attorneys
Minimum
No such
persons
Maximum
$
.00
$
.00
¢
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
$
.00
$
.00
¢
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to assess
client needs, prepare reports, and refer to services, regardless of
licensing credentials)
$
.00
$
.00
¢
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual
investigation of cases)
$
.00
$
.00
¢
e. Paralegals
$
.00
$
.00
¢
B7. How many staff in each category left your office as of December 31, 2023, regardless of the reason?
(If you are unable to provide the actual number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate
check box. If none, enter “0”.)
Category
Number full‑time
Number part‑time
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities
over other attorneys
¢
Est
¢
Est
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
¢
Est
¢
Est
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to
assess client needs, prepare reports, and refer to services,
regardless of licensing credentials)
¢
Est
¢
Est
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual
investigation of cases)
¢
Est
¢
Est
e. Paralegals
¢
Est
¢
Est
B8. How many positions were vacant on December 31, 2023? Vacant means that your office is authorized to hire
for that position, but as of December 31, 2023, the position was not filled. (If you are unable to provide the actual
number, please provide your best estimate and mark (X) in the estimate check box. If none, enter “0”.)
Category
Number full‑time
Number part‑time
a. Attorneys with management or supervisory responsibilities
over other attorneys
¢
Est
¢
Est
b. Attorneys with no supervisory responsibilities over other
attorneys
¢
Est
¢
Est
c. Social workers (staff whose primary responsibility is to
assess client needs, prepare reports, and refer to services,
regardless of licensing credentials)
¢
Est
¢
Est
d. Investigators (staff whose primary responsibility is factual
investigation of cases)
¢
Est
¢
Est
e. Paralegals
¢
Est
¢
Est
5
B9. In your jurisdiction who is the final authority
in the selection of the chief public defender in
your office? (Mark (X) only one.)
B16. What is the race of the current chief public
defender? (Mark (X) all that apply.)
n White
n Black or African American
3
n American Indian or Alaska Native
4
n Asian
5
n Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
6
n Some other race (Please specify):
1
n State-level board or commission
2
n Board or commission other than at state-level
3
n State governor
4
n Publicly elected
5
n County executive
6
n County legislature
7
n County or district judiciary
8
n Other (Please describe):
1
2
Section C.
B10. How long had the chief public defender in your
office been in their position as of December 31,
2023? (Write in years and months.)
C1. In your office’s FY 2023, did your office handle
cases for court-appointed clients in the
following categories? (Mark (X) only one choice
per row.)
a. ______ Years
Yes No
b. _______ Months
c. N/A - position was vacant (If no, Skip to B12)
B11. What was the annual salary of the chief public
defender in your office on December 31, 2023?
TOTAL ANNUAL SALARY:
$_______________________________ .00
B12. Is the current chief public defender in your
office a litigating attorney? (Litigating attorneys
carry a caseload.) (Mark (X) only one.)
a. Felony capital (including death-penalty-eligible
cases not ultimately prosecuted as capital cases)
¢ ¢
b. Felony non-capital (including felony traffic
cases)
¢ ¢
c. Misdemeanors that carry a jail sentence
(including misdemeanor traffic cases)
¢ ¢
d. Misdemeanors that do not carry a jail sentence
(including fine-only traffic offenses)
¢ ¢
e. Ordinance/Municipal infraction or violation
¢ ¢
f. Violation/Revocation of probation or parole
¢ ¢
1
g. Sex offender registration and classification
¢ ¢
2
h. Criminal appeal
¢ ¢
i. State post-conviction/habeas corpus
¢ ¢
j. Federal habeas corpus
k. Expungement of criminal record
¢ ¢
¢ ¢
l. Clemency or pardon
¢ ¢
m. Juvenile delinquency
¢ ¢
n. Juvenile delinquency appeals
¢ ¢
o. Juvenile transfer/waiver hearings
¢ ¢
p. Juvenile status offense (e.g., underage liquor law
violation, truancy, etc.)
¢ ¢
q. Termination of parental rights
¢ ¢
r. Child protection/dependency cases
(representing children)
¢ ¢
s. Child protection/dependency cases (representing
parents, other than termination of parental rights)
¢ ¢
t. Civil commitment of alleged sexually violent
predators
¢ ¢
u. Civil commitment (other than alleged sexually
violent predators)
¢ ¢
n Yes
n No
3
n NA - position is vacant (Skip to C1)
B13. Is the current chief defender part- or full-time?
“Part-time” refers to any individual who regularly
works fewer hours than the office’s standard work
week. (Mark (X) only one.)
n Part-time
n Full-time
1
2
B14. What is the gender of the current chief
defender? (Mark (X) all that apply.)
n Female
2
n Male
3
n Transgender, non-binary, or another gender
1
B15. What is the ethnicity of the current chief public
defender? (Mark (X) only one.)
n Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino
n Not Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino
1
2
v. Other (Describe):
6
¢ ¢
If your response to C3, b. non-capitol felony
cases is ‘0,’ skip to D1
C2. Criminal cases are often defined and counted
differently across offices. Which of the
following statements most closely reflects how
your office counts a “case”? (Mark (X) only one.)
C4. In non-capital felony cases, when is your office
typically appointed to represent a client? (Mark
(X) only one.)
n Every charge against every client is counted as
1
a separate case.
Groups
of charges against a client may be
n
counted as single cases. (Groups of charges
may be: charges arising from a single incident,
charges contained in a single charging
instrument, or charges contained in a single
court docket)
2
n Between the client’s arrest and first court
1
appearance. (A first court appearance occurs
when a defendant is brought before a judge or
judicial officer, is informed of charges against
them, and their liberty may be subject to
restriction.)
2
AT
n the client’s first court appearance
3
n AFTER the client’s first court appearance
4
n Other (Please describe):
C3. How many of the following types of cases did
your office receive in your office’s FY 2023? (If
you are unable to provide the actual number, please
provide your best estimate and mark the estimate
box. If none, enter “0”.)
Type of case
a. Capital felony (including deathpenalty-eligible cases not
ultimately prosecuted as capital
cases)
b. Non-capital felony (including traffic
felonies)
c. Misdemeanors that carry a jail
sentence (including misdemeanor
traffic offenses)
d. Misdemeanors that do not carry a
jail sentence (including fine-only
traffic offenses)
Number of
cases
Est
C5. In non-capital felony cases, how soon does
a representative from your office (attorney,
investigator, paralegal, etc.) typically first
contact a client appointed to the office who is
in custody? (Mark (X) only one.)
¢
n Before appointment
n Immediately upon appointment (e.g., attorney
¢
1
2
is routinely present in court when client is
appointed, and meets with client)
3
n Not immediately, but within 24 hours of
appointment
4
n Later than 24 but within 48 hours of appointment
5
n Later than 48 but within 72 hours of appointment
6
n Later than 72 hours after appointment
7
n Other (Please describe):
¢
¢
e. Ordinance/Municipal infraction or
violation
¢
f. Violation of probation or parole
¢
g. Criminal appeals
¢
h. Juvenile cases (including juvenile
delinquency, delinquency appeals,
and juvenile transfer/waiver hearings)
¢
i. All other cases (including civil
commitment of alleged sexually
violent predators, civil commitment
other than alleged sexually violent
predators, state post-conviction/
habeas corpus, federal habeas
corpus, juvenile status offenses,
termination of parental rights,
child protection/dependency cases
representing children or parents,
sex offender registration and
classification, expungement of
criminal record, clemency)
¢
C6. In non-capital felony cases, how soon does
a representative from your office (attorney,
investigator, paralegal, etc.) typically first
contact a client appointed to the office who is
not in custody? (Mark (X) only one.)
n Before appointment
n Immediately upon appointment (e.g., attorney
1
2
is routinely present in court when client is
appointed, and meets with client)
3
n Not immediately, but within 24 hours of
appointment
4
n Later than 24 but within 48 hours of appointment
5
n Later than 48 but within 72 hours of appointment
6
n Later than 72 hours after appointment
7
n Other (Please describe):
7
C7. Which of the following best describes how non-capital felony cases are generally handled after your office
is appointed? (Mark (X) only one.)
n Cases are handled by a single attorney from start to finish (vertical representation).
n Cases may be handled by one or more attorneys prior to arraignment, then assigned to a single attorney for
1
2
the remainder of the case (vertical representation after arraignment only).
n Cases may be assigned to different attorneys at various stages of the case after arraignment (horizontal
representation).
4
n Cases are assigned to either one or more attorneys depending on the type of charges filed
5
n Other (Please describe):
3
Section D. ELIGIBILITY FOR SERVICES
D1. Is your office responsible for screening applications from defendants seeking court-appointed counsel?
(Mark (X) only one.)
n Yes
n No
1
2
D2. In your jurisdiction, which of the following information is used to assess whether a defendant is
financially qualified to receive appointed counsel? (Mark (X) only one choice per row.)
Not
Don't
Considered considered know
a. Applicant earns income from employment
¢
¢
¢
b. Applicant has outstanding debt (e.g., credit card, student loan)
¢
¢
¢
c. Applicant is able to post financial bond
¢
¢
¢
d. Applicant is in custody (e.g., mental hospital, jail, juvenile or youth facility or other
correctional institution)
¢
¢
¢
e. Applicant lives in public housing
¢
¢
¢
f. Applicant must pay utility bills, rent, mortgage, or other fixed expenses
¢
¢
¢
g. Applicant owns a car
¢
¢
¢
h. Applicant owns a house
¢
¢
¢
i. Applicant receives needs-based public assistance (e.g., social security, TANF)
¢
¢
¢
j. Assets or income of applicant’s family members (e.g., spouse, parents)
¢
¢
¢
k. Likely cost for applicant to hire own attorney
¢
¢
¢
l. Number of dependents in applicant’s family
¢
¢
¢
m. Seriousness of charges against applicant
¢
¢
¢
8
D3. In your jurisdiction, is there a standard income
level above which applicants are generally
denied court-appointed counsel?
Section E. Office Resources
n Yes
n No (Skip to D5)
3
n Don't know (Skip to D5)
1
E1. Does your office have policies in the following
areas? (Mark (X) only one choice per row.)
2
Yes,
unwritten
Yes,
or
written informal
No
policy
policy policy
D4. As of December 31, 2023, what was the
income limit above which an applicant for
representation in a non-capital felony case with
no dependents would routinely be denied courtappointed counsel? (Enter either a dollar amount
or a percentage based on the Federal Poverty Line.
If neither applies, please describe what is used.)
.00
n Income level: $
% of the Federal Poverty Line
n
3
n Other (Please describe):
1
2
n Don't know
4
D5. Which of the following fees can a client of your
office be required to pay? (Mark (X) only one
choice per row.)
Yes
a. Up-front application or
administrative fee when
requesting an attorney
1
b. Attorney cost recoupment
after representation is ended
(whether partial or full)
1
¢
¢
No
2
2
¢
¢
Don't
know
3
3
¢
¢
a. Attorney caseload limits
¢
¢
¢
b. Attorney qualifications to
take cases
¢
¢
¢
c. Attorney supervision and/or
mentoring
¢
¢
¢
d. Case file maintenance (e.g.,
timeliness of case closing,
completeness of notes)
¢
¢
¢
e. Client contact (e.g.,
frequency throughout the
case)
¢
¢
¢
f. Continuity (or ‘verticality’) of
representation throughout
case
¢
¢
¢
g. Determining a conflict of
interest
¢
¢
¢
h. Information security
¢
¢
¢
i. Performance reviews for
attorney staff
¢
¢
¢
j. Performance reviews for
non-attorney staff
¢
¢
¢
k. Remote work
¢
¢
¢
l. Training of attorneys
¢
¢
¢
m. Training of social workers
¢
¢
¢
n. Training of investigators
¢
¢
¢
o. Use of social workers
¢
¢
¢
p. Use of investigators
¢
¢
¢
E2. Does your office provide either in-house
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for attorneys,
or funding for attorneys to obtain CLE
elsewhere? (Mark (X) only one choice per row.)
9
Provided
Not
provided
Don't
know
a. In-house CLE
¢
¢
¢
b. Funding for attorneys to
obtain CLE elsewhere
¢
¢
¢
E3. Does your office provide either in-house
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for social
workers, or funding for social workers to obtain
CEUs elsewhere? (Mark (X) only one choice
per row.)
Provided
Not
provided
Don't
know
a. In-house CEU
¢
¢
¢
b. Funding for attorneys to
obtain CEU elsewhere
¢
¢
¢
E4. Does your office pay bar membership fees for
staff attorneys? (Mark (X) only one.)
n Yes
n No
3
n Don't know
1
2
E5. Does your office use an electronic case
management system (CMS)? Case management
systems are software packages that allow attorneys
to keep track of data on clients and cases. For
the purposes of this question, word-processing
documents and spreadsheets (such as Excel) do
not constitute a CMS. (Mark (X) only one.)
n Yes
n No
3
n Don't know
1
2
E6. Do you have any system in your office that would allow you to report the following data? (Mark (X) only
one choice per row.)
Data are
easily
reportable
Data would be difficult to
Could not report
report (e.g., time consuming (e.g., data not available
and/or labor-intensive)
or accessible)
a. The office’s total caseload
¢
¢
¢
b. The number of cases in which an attorney used the
services of an investigator
¢
¢
¢
c. The number of cases in which an attorney used the
services of a social worker
¢
¢
¢
d. The number of cases in which an attorney used the
services of an expert witness
¢
¢
¢
e. Number of cases by disposition (e.g., how many ended in
dismissal, conviction, acquittal)
¢
¢
¢
f. The cost of providing representation in all cases
¢
¢
¢
g. Demographic data on attorneys and other employees
¢
¢
¢
h. Demographic data on clients
¢
¢
¢
E7. Do you have any system in your office that does the following? (Mark (X) only one choice per row.)
Yes, and it meets
our office’s needs
Yes, but it doesn’t meet
our office’s needs
No such
system
a. Automatically transcribes speech in video evidence to text
¢
¢
¢
b. Generates form letters or emails for me to send to clients
¢
¢
¢
c. Identifies conflicts of interest by checking names of parties in existing
cases
¢
¢
¢
d. Organizes client appointments and court dates into a calendar
showing attorneys where they need to be
¢
¢
¢
e. Sends text message reminders to clients for court dates
¢
¢
¢
f. Sends text message reminders to clients for appointments at my office
¢
¢
¢
g. Stores all documents related to a case for easy reference
¢
¢
¢
h. Stores all communication related to a case for easy reference
¢
¢
¢
i. Tracks the amount of time that attorneys spend on a case
¢
¢
¢
10
E8. What is the current volume of digital/electronic evidence that your office processed in FY 2023?
(Mark (X) only one.)
n 10 gigabytes or less
n More than 10 but less than 100 gigabytes
3
n More than 100 but less than 500 gigabytes
4
n More than 500 gigabytes but less than 1 terabyte
5
n Greater than 1 terabyte but less than 10 terabytes
6
n Greater than 10 terabytes
7
n Don't know
1
2
Time survey completed:______________
Number of individuals consulted with:_____
Notes (Optional)
Question numbers that were burdensome.
Question numbers that required other staff members’ input.
Question numbers that were unclear.
Other feedback on survey.
11
Appendix B
Contact Scripts to Participate in CPDO Pretest and Cognitive Interviews
1
I. Initial email to office leader to recruit CPDO cognitive test participants:
Dear [NAME OF OFFICE LEADER],
Greetings! We are reaching out to request your office’s participation in a pretest of the Census of Public
Defender Offices (CPDO) survey. The CPDO survey was developed in consultation with public defense
leaders to collect important information on general office information including expenditures, staffing,
caseloads, eligibility standards, and office resources. This census is being conducted on behalf of the U.S.
Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) by a team of researchers from NORC at the
University of Chicago (NORC), the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD), the Urban Institute,
and the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center.
Your office is one of 20 offices invited to participate in the pretest. Feedback from public defenders working
in varying types of offices is vital to developing a census questionnaire that captures timely and accurate
information. We hope that you, or your delegate, will participate in the following pretest activities:
o
o
o
Complete the approximately 60-minute CPDO questionnaire.
Note questions that are unclear, those that need multiple staff to provide a response to and those
that are a high time burden.
Participate in a 45-60 minute debriefing phone call about 7-10 days after completing the CPDO
questionnaire where you will be asked about your feedback on the questionnaire.
This is the cognitive test portion of the census project, and it is important that we ensure the questions are
easy to understand, response options are adequate, and questions are not overly burdensome prior to the
full implementation of the census next year. If no substantive changes are made to the survey, we will make
every effort to incorporate the data you provide into the full dataset and limit future contact for the full
collection. This is voluntary, though we hope that you will agree to participate.
To participate in the pretest, please respond to this email with your consent. A member of our team will
follow-up with instructions and the survey so you can begin the process.
We are grateful for your support!
Thank you,
Bill Adams, Urban Institute
CPDO Project Team
2
II. Call to office leader to recruit CPDO cog test participants when unresponsive to email outreach
Hello, may I please speak with (INSERT CHIEF PD NAME)?
Hello, my name is ________and I’m calling from NORC/Urban Institute/NAPD/Deason. About two weeks
ago, we emailed you requesting your participation in a pretest of the Census of Public Defender Offices.
Did you receive that email?
No, I did not receive that email.
Ok, let me give you some background on the census and then I’ll confirm your email. The
Census of Public Defender Offices is being conducted on behalf of the U.S. Department of
Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) by a team of researchers from NORC at the
University of Chicago (NORC), the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD), the
Urban Institute, and the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center. This survey was
developed in consultation with public defense leaders to collect important information on
general office information including expenditures, staffing, caseloads, eligibility standards,
and office resources. Can you confirm that your email is [INSERT CHIEF PD EMAIL
ADDRESS]?
Are you interested in pretesting the survey for us?
No, I cannot participate.
No problem at all. Thank you.
Yes, I can participate.
Great! To participate in the pretest, we would need you to:
o
o
o
Complete the CPDO questionnaire which will take about 60 minutes.
Provide feedback on any questions that are unclear, those that need
multiple staff to provide a response to and those that are a high time
burden.
Participate in a 45-60 minute debriefing phone call about 7-10 days
after completing the CPDO questionnaire where you will be asked
about your feedback on the questionnaire.
A member of our team will follow-up with instructions and the survey so
you can begin the process. As a reminder, your participation in this survey
is voluntary and confidential. Your responses will not be shared with
anyone outside of our research team, and you can refuse to answer
questions or stop the survey at any time.
Also, we will make every effort to incorporate the data you provide into
the full dataset and limit future contact for the full collection.
Thank you for your time!
Yes, I did receive that email.
Great! Are you interested in pretesting the survey for us?
3
No, I cannot participate.
No problem at all. Thank you.
Yes, I can participate.
Thank you. A member of our team will follow-up with instructions and
the survey so you can begin the process. As a reminder, your participation
in this survey is voluntary and confidential. Your responses will not be
shared with anyone outside of our research team, and you can refuse to
answer questions or stop the survey at any time.
Also, we will make every effort to incorporate the data you provide into
the full dataset and limit future contact for the full collection.
Thank you for your time!
4
III. Personalized email to respondent containing census and instructions
Dear [RESPONDENT NAME],
Thank you for agreeing to take and provide feedback on the Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO)
survey! We are grateful for your time and certain that your input will make the questionnaire better.
We request that you do the following:
•
•
•
Complete the attached survey (should take approximately 60 minutes) by one of the following
methods:
o Complete the survey by highlighting your answers in Adobe, if you are able to, and return
via email. Print out the survey, complete by hand, scan and return to [email protected] via
email.
o Complete the hard copy of the survey that will arrive at your office in the next week and
return either via scanning and emailing to [email protected] or through the provided selfaddressed stamped envelope.
As you are completing the survey, please note any questions that are unclear, those that need
multiple staff to provide a response to, and those that are a high time burden in the notes
section provided at the end of the survey.
Track and record how long it takes you to complete the survey. Please include the time needed for
any consultation in that time calculation.
Should you find a question too difficult to answer, please make a note of the question, why it is difficult to
answer, and the estimated time it would take to answer. Please note that an online and paper version of the
survey will be available for the full implementation but at this time, we are focusing on the content only
and have attached the PDF version for your completion. If you fill out the survey as completely as possible,
we will make every effort to incorporate the data you provide into the full dataset and limit future contact
for the full collection.
Once we receive your completed response, we will follow-up to schedule a time to discuss the
questionnaire, which we estimate will take approximately 45-60 minutes of your time. We need to receive
your completed questionnaire by [specify date].
Thank you,
Bill Adams, Urban Institute
CPDO Project Team
5
Appendix C
CPDO Pretest Cognitive Interview Script
6
Cognitive test debriefing interview phone script
Hello, my name is ________and I’m calling from NORC/Urban Institute/NAPD/Deason about the Bureau
of Justice Statistics’ Census of Public Defender Offices questionnaire that you recently completed.
Is this still a good time to talk? [If not, reschedule while on the phone!]
Great, so let me walk you through the basic process of how the debriefing will work. We’ll go through the
major sections of the census, and for each section, I’ll ask you if there were any particular questions in that
section that you thought had issues with: clarity or wording, response choices, or the level of difficulty with
providing the information requested.
We will also talk about how long it took you to complete the census and review your responses to the
feedback questions. With your permission, we may be able to use this version of the survey to count as
your response and will only send you a follow-up for any questions you did not complete or that were
significantly revised during this process.
Record permission: Yes, use this response
No, send me the full survey again
With your permission, I would like to audio-record our conversation. This will allow me to concentrate on
what you are saying instead of relying on notes I take while you’re talking. I’ll use the recording to help
me write a summary of our conversation. It will not be used for any other purpose.
If you are willing to take part in the study and allow me to audio-record our conversation, please provide
your verbal approval before we continue.
Do you have any questions before we proceed?
CENSUS QUESTION REVIEW
We will go through each section of the census, and probe to see if there were:
•
•
•
Any questions that were unclear or confusing or any terminology that needed to be better defined,
Any response options that were unclear, confusing, overlapping, or missing
Any requested information that was not available and could not be reasonably provided. If not
able to provide: What steps would be necessary to get the information? How long do you think
that would take?
Inquiries on Specific Questions
•
Screener questions – were all of these questions worded clearly? Did you need to review any
definitions? If so, were definitions clear?
•
Section A generally – did you encounter any specific challenges with the questions in this section
such as inadequate response options, overly time consuming or unclear wording?
•
Questions A2 on primary office. Do we need to include “don’t know” on this question? Why or
why not?
•
A3 if office is a conflict office. Do we need to include “don’t know” on this question? Why or
why not?
7
•
A5 on state-level oversight. Do we need to include “don’t know” on this question? Why or why
not?
•
A6 on oversight other than state-level. Do we need to include “don’t know” on this question?
Why or why not?
•
A7 (role of oversight other than state-level. Do we need to include “don’t know” on this
question? Why or why not?
•
A12 on funding sources. How hard was this question to answer? If you found the question
challenging, why?
•
Section B generally –Are staffing numbers readily available for you or did you need to take
several steps to aggregate your staffing numbers?
•
B2 on attorney gender. How does your office categorize non-binary attorneys? Similarly, how
does your office categorize transgender attorneys? If we add a third option of “non-binary or
another gender” would you need to revise the numbers you provided on gender breakdown of
your attorneys?
•
•
B2 - Is this question clear? Are you able to provide the information? What is the difficulty of
providing the information? How did you report this information? Any other concerns about the
accuracy or ability to report this information?
•
B3 on attorney race. Is this question clear? Are you able to provide the information? What is the
difficulty of providing the information? How did you report this information? Any other concerns
about the accuracy or ability to provide this information?
•
B4 on ‘litigating attorneys’ that carry a caseload. Is this question clear? Are you able to provide
the information? What is the difficulty of providing the information? Any other comments?
•
B5 on attorneys working at the office more than three years. Is this question clear? Are you able
to provide the information? What is the difficulty of providing the information? Any other
comments?
•
B6 on attorney salaries: Are you able to provide the information? What is the difficulty of
providing the information? Would it have helped to allow you to estimate these numbers? Any
other comments?
•
B7 on attorneys that recently left. Is this question clear? Are you able to provide the information?
What is the difficulty of providing the information? Any other comments?
•
B8 on vacant positions. Is this question clear? Are you able to provide the information? What is
the difficulty of providing the information? Any other comments?
•
Section C generally – how difficult is it to provide case information?
•
C2 on how you count cases. Is this question clear?
•
C3 on caseloads. Is this question clear? Are you able to provide the information? What is the
difficulty of providing the information? Any other comments?
8
•
Section D generally – how difficult is it to describe eligibility for services?
•
D2 on eligibility determination. Is this question clear? Are any eligibility standards not listed here
that your office uses?
•
D4 on eligibility threshold. Is this question clear?
•
Section E generally – how difficult is it to provide information about policies and technology?
•
E1 on policies. Is this question clear?
•
E6 on ability to report data. Is this question clear? Are you able to provide the information? What
is the difficulty of providing the information? Any other comments?
•
E8 on tech capabilities. Is this question clear?
•
E9 on gigabytes of evidence handled. Is this question clear? Are you able to provide the
information? What is the difficulty of providing the information? Any other comments?
OVERALL GENERAL QUESTIONS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
[If respondent did not record the start and stop time for the survey] How long did the census take
you to complete?
Did you need to share the census questionnaire with others in or outside of your office to
complete any of the questions? If so, how many other staff members needed to provide
information for the instrument? What were the roles of the other staff members needed to provide
information for the instrument?
Which questions were particularly hard to answer? Which questions took the longest? Why did
those questions take the longest?
Were there any questions that were not appropriate or not applicable to your office?
Which section/questions would produce the data that is the most interesting to you?
Are there any important topics that do not currently appear on the census that you would
recommend including? If so, why?
Are there any other improvements to the census that you would recommend that we make?
In your opinion, how long should we give public defender offices to complete the census before
following up with them?
In your opinion, what mode of communication would be most effective in following up to remind
respondents to complete the census? Phone call, text, email, or regular mail?
Thank you so much for the time you’ve dedicated to reviewing and improving the CPDO instrument. If
you think of anything else you’d like to note about the survey, please don’t hesitate to reach back out to
me via phone or email. Thank you again.
9
[Date]
(NAME), (TITLE)
(AGENCYNAME)
(ADDR)
(CITY), (STATE) (ZIP)
Attachment 7
Dear (NAME),
I am writing to request your participation in the Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) data collection,
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). In partnership with the
National Association for Public Defense (NAPD), NORC at the University of Chicago, the Urban Institute, and
the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center, BJS is administering the CPDO to collect data on public defense
providers. The CPDO will generate a nationwide census of public defense offices and capture key aspects of
office operations for the first time in sixteen years.
Your participation in the CPDO is vital. The data will provide office leaders like yourself with key metrics,
including general office information, expenditures, staffing, caseloads, and eligibility standards, to support
efforts for improved resources. Additionally, it will offer transparency across jurisdictions, allowing you to see
how other offices are structured and operate. When testing the CPDO instrument with leaders from a diverse
range of offices, there was a clear sense of communal support and strong curiosity about how other offices
operate, are funded, and function.
Next week, you will receive an invitation via email to complete the survey from BJS’s CPDO data collection
agent, NORC at the University of Chicago. This invitation will include a link to your office survey that can be
shared with other personnel in your office who may be better informed to complete certain sections.
BJS is authorized to conduct this data collection (34 U.S.C. § 10132) and may only use the information it
collects for statistical or research purposes (34 U.S.C. § 10134). BJS may not publicly release data in a way that
could reasonably identify a specific private person (34 U.S.C. § 10231). Any person who violates these
provisions may be punished by a fine up to $10,000, in addition to any other penalties imposed by law. Further,
per the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. § 151), federal information systems are protected
from malicious activities. The BJS Data Protection Guidelines provide information on how protects data.
A brief project overview is attached to this letter. If you have technical questions regarding the CPDO data
collection or need assistance with the survey, please contact the NORC project team at [email protected] or (866)
582-4052. If you have general comments about BJS or CPDO, please contact Ryan Kling, BJS project manager
at [email protected] or (202) 704-0076. BJS appreciates your generous cooperation and partnership in
supporting this important effort.
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Scott
Acting Director
Attachment 8
[INSERT MAILING INFORMATION]
To the Office of [INSERT],
We are writing today to ask your office to participate in the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)’s Census of Public
Defender Offices (CPDO). BJS is the principal statistical agency of the Department of Justice and is responsible for
collecting data on the justice system. The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) is a partner on this project
and was closely involved in the development of the CPDO survey questions.
The CPDO will provide updated information to policymakers, researchers and the public that will increase the body
of knowledge about public defender offices. Information generated by the CPDO will include:
1) how many public defenders and public defender offices there are in the country,
2) how many cases those offices are handling, and the staffing and resources they have for those cases,
3) up to date information on attorney salaries, the burden of digital evidence, and recruitment and retention
challenges.
The CPDO was created with the help of public defender leaders across the U.S. Your responses, and those of your
colleagues across the country, will allow an incredible scope of information to be collected and published at the national
level for only the second time. Prosecutor offices are being surveyed through a different survey and it is critical that
comprehensive public defense data is also collected.
Completing the questionnaire should take approximately 60 minutes. You may delegate the entire survey or a subset
of questions to knowledgeable staff within your office. To delegate the entire form, please share the online census link
and office PIN with your colleague. To delegate a subset of questions, select the delegate button within the online census
to provide the name and email of your colleague and they will be sent an email with a request to complete the questions.
The web survey automatically saves your responses after each question. This allows you to close the survey and pick up
right where you left off at a later time. To begin the survey, follow the steps below. If your office has any further questions,
please contact NORC using the information below.
Step
Enter your PIN <>
at www.CPDO.norc.org
Or Call us at (866) 582-4052
Step
Complete
the survey
Thank you for the services that you provide to your clients daily, and for your support of this research effort on the legal
representation of people unable to afford a lawyer.
Sincerely and on behalf of our project team,
KP Friess
Development & Engagement Director, NAPD
WANT MORE
INFORMATION?
Call Us
(866) 582-4052
Email Us
[email protected]
Visit Us Online
Census of Public Defender Offices
(2023) | NORC at the University of
Chicago
Attachment 9a
Dear <>,
This message is follow-up to our recent conversation inviting your office, <>, to participate in
the Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO). Completing the survey should take approximately 60
minutes. It can be completed by any knowledgeable staff member about caseloads, staff, budget and
policies within your office. Participation is voluntary.
Please go to: www.cpdo.norc.org and enter the PIN for your office: <> to complete the CPDO
online.
If you have any questions, please contact us at (866) 582-4052 or [email protected].
We appreciate your time.
Sincerely,
The CPDO team
<>
Attachment 9b
Dear <>,
NORC at the University of University of Chicago in partnership with the National Association for Public
Defense (NAPD) is conducting the 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO), sponsored by the
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
[N_FNAME.TEXT] started the survey but was not able to answer some of the questions posed to them in
the survey and has nominated you as someone who might be able to answer these questions instead.
These questions are located in the following sections of the survey:
[N_SECTION4(1).Text]
[N_SECTION4(2).Text]
[N_SECTION4(3).Text]
[N_SECTION4(4).Text]
[N_SECTION4(5).Text]
To access the survey, please go to: www.cpdo.norc.org and enter the PIN for your office: <>
If you have any questions, please contact us at (866) 582-4052 or [email protected].
We appreciate your time.
Sincerely,
The CPDO team
<>
Attachment 10a
Dear [NAME],
Did you know…
• In 2007, County-based offices employed a median of 7 litigating public defenders.
• Fifteen state-administered programs in 2007 exceeded the maximum recommended number of felony and
misdemeanor cases per attorney.
The 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) is underway and we need your help by participating in this survey!
The last collection for CPDO was in 2007. Your responses help by responding to the 2024 CPDO survey so we have accurate
updated information on public defender offices across the nation.
Instructions on how to respond to the survey are below. Please respond by .
The web survey will save your responses as you respond to each question. This allows you to close the survey and pick up
right where you left off at a later time. You may also delegate the survey to knowledgeable staff within your office by
selecting the delegate button within the online census and providing the name and email of your colleague. The delegate
will be sent a link to the subset of questions you would like them to complete. The following steps can be used to complete
the web survey:
Step
Step
Enter your PIN <>
at www.CPDO.norc.org
Or Call us at (866) 582-4052
Complete
the survey
The CPDO is sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, and
is conducted by the NORC at the University of Chicago and endorsed by the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD).
Please do not hesitate to reach out to the CPDO team with any questions about your participation in this important data
collection.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
The CPDO Team
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
Call Us
(866) 582-4052
Email Us
[email protected]
Visit Us Online
Census of Public Defender Offices
(2023) | NORC at the University of
Chicago
Attachment 10b
Dear [NAME],
The 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) is in progress and we need your help by participating in this survey!
Did you know…
• County-based public defender offices received more than 4 million cases and spent nearly $1.5 billion in operating
expenditures in 2007.
• In 2007, 40% of all county-based public defender offices had no investigators on staff.
The last collection for CPDO was in 2007. We need your help by responding to the 2024 CPDO survey so we have accurate
updated information on public defender offices across the nation. Please respond by .
Instructions on how to respond to the survey are below. The web survey automatically saves your responses after each
question. This allows you to close the survey and pick up right where you left off at a later time. You may provide estimates,
as needed, and may delegate the survey to knowledgeable staff within your office by selecting the delegate button within
the online census and providing the name and email of your colleague. The delegate will be sent a link to the subset of
questions you would like them to complete. The following steps can be used to complete the web survey:
Step
Step
Enter your PIN <>
at www.CPDO.norc.org
Or Call us at (866) 582-4052
Complete
the survey
The CPDO is sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, and
is conducted by the NORC at the University of Chicago and endorsed by the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD).
Please do not hesitate to reach out to the CPDO team with any questions about your participation in this important data
collection.
Thank you.
Sincerely
The CPDO Team
WANT MORE
INFORMATION?
Call Us
(866) 582-4052
Email Us
[email protected]
Visit Us Online
Census of Public Defender Offices
(2023) | NORC at the University of
Chicago
Attachment 10c
Dear [NAME],
Reminder – We need your office to complete the CPDO!
Data collection for the 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) is still underway and we’re waiting for your
response to this important survey.
The following steps can be used to complete the web survey:
Step
Step
Enter your PIN <>
at www.CPDO.norc.org
Or Call us at (866) 582-4052
Complete
the survey
Please respond by . The web survey will save each answer as you move through the census. This allows
you to close the survey and pick up right where you left off at a later time. Estimates can be entered into the form, as
needed, and you may delegate the census to knowledgeable staff within your office by selecting the delegate button
within the online census and providing the name and email of your colleague. The delegate will be sent a link to the
subset of questions you would like them to complete.
The CPDO is sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice,
and is conducted by the NORC at the University of Chicago and endorsed by the National Association for Public Defense
(NAPD). Please do not hesitate to reach out to the CPDO team with any questions about your participation in this
important data collection.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
The CPDO Team
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
Call Us
(866) 582-4052
Email Us
[email protected]
Visit Us Online
Census of Public Defender Offices
(2023) | NORC at the University of
Chicago
Attachment 10d
Dear [NAME],
Please complete the census! Your response is important!
As of today, we have not received your responses to the 2024 CPDO. Your participation is critical to our ability to have a
complete census of all public defender offices across the nation. Instructions on how to respond to the survey are below.
Please respond by . Please do not hesitate to reach out to the CPDO team to provide assistance with your
participation.
The following steps can be used to complete the web survey:
Step
Step
Enter your PIN <>
at www.CPDO.norc.org
Or Call us at (866) 582-4052
Complete
the survey
The web survey will save each answer as you move through the census. Therefore, you may close the survey and pick up
right where you left off at a later time. Estimates can be entered into the form, as needed, and you may delegate the
census to knowledgeable staff within your office by selecting the delegate button within the online census and providing
the name and email of your colleague. The delegate will be sent a link to the subset of questions you would like them to
complete.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
The CPDO Team
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
Call Us
(866) 582-4052
Email Us
[email protected]
Visit Us Online
Census of Public Defender Offices
(2023) | NORC at the University of
Chicago
Attachment 10e
Dear [NAME],
Your response matters!
The 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO), sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), U.S. Department
of Justice and conducted by the NORC at the University of Chicago with endorsement by the National Association for Public
Defense (NAPD), is in progress.
Our goal is to receive completed census information from all public defender offices. As of <>, we have
received responses from XX% of offices. Please see our weekly progress in the chart below:
[INSERT CHART]
We hope that your office will complete the CPDO web survey:
Step
Step
Enter your PIN <>
at www.CPDO.norc.org
Or Call us at (866) 582-4052
Complete
the survey
The web survey will save each answer as you move through the census. This allows you to close the survey and pick up right
where you left off at a later time. Estimates can be entered into the form, as needed, and you may delegate the census to
knowledgeable staff within your office by selecting the delegate button within the online census and providing the name
and email of your colleague. The delegate will be sent a link to the subset of questions you would like them to complete.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
The CPDO Team
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
Call Us
(866) 582-4052
Email Us
[email protected]
Visit Us Online
Census of Public Defender Offices
(2023) | NORC at the University of
Chicago
Attachment 11
[INSERT MAILING INFORMATION]
To the Office of [INSERT],
Your response matters to the public defense community!
Did you know…
• In 2007, there were a total of 15,016 public defenders in the U.S.
• State-administered programs had a median attrition rate of 10% for attorneys in 2007.
The 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices, sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), U.S. Department of Justice
and conducted by the NORC at the University of Chicago with endorsement by the National Association for Public Defense
(NAPD), is currently collecting data from over 1,000 public defender offices in the United States and Territories. The
previous Census collected data from 2007 and updated information is greatly needed by those working as practitioners,
advocates, policy makers, and the general public. Please respond by .
We invite your office to complete the enclosed census form. The questions on the form were developed in collaboration
with a panel of public defense experts and NAPD so that the information requested collects data on the most important
topics of relevance to the field of public defense. The form can be completed by any knowledgeable staff in your office
and returned to NORC in the enclosed envelope. Previous testing indicated the survey will take approximately 60 minutes.
If your office prefers to complete the on-line version, instructions for completing the web survey are included on the first
page of the form along with your unique pin. If you need assistance or have any questions regarding the census, please
contact us at (866) 583-4052 or e-mail at [email protected].
Sincerely,
The CPDO Team
Attachment 12
CPDO: Phone Follow Up Script-Hello, may I please speak with [INSERT CONTACT NAME].
INTERVIEWER: IF R NO LONGER WORKS THERE, ASK FOR PERSON WHO CURRENTLY
HOLDS R’s POSITION. RECORD UPDATED INFORMATION IN SYSTEM, THEN PROMPT
NEW R TO COMPLETE ONLINE, ATTEMPT TO SCHEDULE INTERVIEW OR BEGIN TO
COMPLETE ITEMS OVER THE PHONE.
INTERVIEWER: My name is [NAME]. I am calling from NORC on behalf of the Bureau of Justice
Statistics regarding the Census of Public Defender Offices. We recently sent you information about
the census and I am following up on this correspondence. Do you remember seeing the information
about this census?
NO, did not receive
form/letter/e-mail:
The Bureau of Justice Statistics
funded a Census of Public Defender Offices or
the CPDO. The CPDO will provide the public
defense community with information about
number of offices, public defenders, budgets,
and staffing. Your office is invited to
participate. You or your designee can
complete the census online. If you have an email address, I can send you information about
the study including your PIN and password. If
you would prefer a hard copy, please let us
know.
YES, did receive
form/letter/email:
Good! Do you have any questions
about the census or who should complete it?
You may complete the survey online at
www.CPDO.norc.org Or if you prefer, we can
also schedule an appointment to complete the
form over the phone.
If you have any questions, please call us toll-free at: (866) 582-4052. This number can also be
found in the web survey. Please remember to complete the census by <>. Thank you in advance for your participation.
1
CPDO Respondent VM Script
Hello! My name is (NAME) calling from NORC. We are conducting the 2024 Census of Public
Defender Offices on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. You should have received
materials about the census and we hope you will participate. Please complete the census by
<> and contact us with any questions at (866) 582-4052. Thank
you!
Administrative Assistant or Secretary’s Telephone Line VM Script
Hello! My name is (NAME), calling from NORC. We are conducting the 2024 Census of Public
Defender Offices on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. (RESPONDENT’S NAME)
should have received materials about the census and I am calling to check in to confirm that your
office received the census invitation. Please contact us with any questions at (866) 582-4052.
Thank you!
2
Attachment 13
[Date]
(NAME), (TITLE)
(AGENCYNAME)
(ADDR)
(CITY), (STATE) (ZIP)
Dear (NAME),
The 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) is underway and we have not yet received a response
from your office.
The CPDO is an important survey by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in
partnership with the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD), NORC at the University of Chicago, the
Urban Institute and the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center. To provide current information for office
leaders, policymakers and researchers, we need data from your office to enhance our understanding of public
defender office operations around the country.
Our goals are to identify all public defender offices in the U.S. and Territories and gather information on their
funding sources, budgets, caseloads, numbers of attorneys and support staff. These data are critical for
identifying gaps in the field of indigent defense. Given recent changes to indigent defense standards and
guidelines, there has been a well-noted need for this type of national level data.
As of DATE, XX% of your colleagues have responded to the census. However, without the participation of
your office, the public defender community will still be without the national level information that is needed to
provide a true understanding of the challenges facing indigent defense service providers.
BJS is authorized to conduct this data collection (34 U.S.C. § 10132) and may only use the information it
collects for statistical or research purposes (34 U.S.C. § 10134). BJS may not publicly release data in a way that
could reasonably identify a specific private person (34 U.S.C. § 10231). Any person who violates these
provisions may be punished by a fine up to $10,000, in addition to any other penalties imposed by law. Further,
per the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. § 151), federal information systems are protected
from malicious activities. The BJS Data Protection Guidelines provide information on how protects data.
We have enclosed a copy of the census for completion by your office. Instructions for completing the census online are included on the first page of the form. If you need assistance or have any questions regarding the census,
please contact the NORC project team at (866) 583-4052 or e-mail at [email protected]. If you have general
comments about BJS or CPDO, please contact Ryan Kling, BJS project manager at [email protected] or
(202) 704-0076. BJS appreciates your generous cooperation and partnership in supporting this important effort.
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Scott, PhD
Acting Director
Attachment 14
[INSERT MAILING INFORMATION]
To the Office of [INSERT],
The 2024 Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO), sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), U.S. Department
of Justice and conducted by the NORC at the University of Chicago with endorsement by the National Association for Public
Defense (NAPD), is underway. The previous CPDO collected data with a 2007 reference year and is out of date. Updated
information on the role that public defender offices have within the justice system is needed. Please respond by .
We invite your office to participate in the 2024 census!
The survey can be completed using the web survey or via the hardcopy census form mailed to your office a few weeks ago.
The web survey will save your responses as you answer each question. You may delegate the survey to any knowledgeable
staff within your office by selecting the delegate button within the online census and providing the name and email of your
colleague. The delegate will be sent a link to the subset of questions you would like them to complete.
The following steps can be used to complete the web survey:
Step
Step
Enter your PIN <>
at www.CPDO.norc.org
Or Call us at (866) 582-4052
Complete
the survey
Thank you.
Sincerely,
The CPDO Team
WANT MORE
INFORMATION?
Call Us
(866) 582-4052
Email Us
[email protected]
Visit Us Online
Census of Public Defender Offices
(2023) | NORC at the University of
Chicago
Attachment 15
Initial Script:
Hello, my name is ________ and I’m calling on behalf of NAPD. We are working with the U.S.
Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics on the Census of Public Defender Offices.
The census is collecting updated information from public defender offices across the country.
I’m calling to check in to see if you received the census invitation via email or the census form
via mail and to answer any questions that you might have. RESPOND AS APPROPRIATE FOR
THE COMMENT/QUESTION
NO, did not receive
form/letter/e-mail:
The Bureau of Justice Statistics
funded a Census of Public Defender Offices
or the CPDO. The CPDO will provide the
public defense community with information
about number of offices, public defenders,
budgets, and staffing. Your office is invited
to participate. You or your designee can
complete the census online. If you have an
e-mail address, I can send you information
about the study including your PIN and
password. If you would prefer a hard copy,
please let us know.
YES, did receive
form/letter/email:
Good! Do you have any
questions about the census or who should
complete it? You may complete the survey
online at www.CPDO.norc.org Or if you
prefer, we can also schedule an appointment
to complete the form over the phone.
Thank you for your time today. As you move forward with the census, we are happy to help. Our
email is [email protected] or call us at NAPD NUMBER OR NORC NUMBER--(866) 582-4052.
Have a good day!
Voicemail Script:
Hello, my name is ________ and I’m calling on behalf of NAPD to check in on the U.S.
Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics’ project, the Census of Public Defender
Offices. We hope that your office will participate in the census and I’m calling to check to see if
there are any questions on the census. Please complete the census by <> and contact us with questions at (866) 582-4052. Thank you!
If following up on a prior call or email:
Hello, my name is ________ from NAPD and I’m following up on (our call/my email) regarding
the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Census of Public Defender Offices
project.
•
•
If leaving voicemail:
Please give us a call back as soon as you can at NAPD NUMBER OR NORC NUMBER-(866) 582-4052. Thank you.
If you reach contact:
We haven’t yet received the requested public defender office census from you, and I’m
just calling to see whether you have any questions I might be able to address.
Attachment 16
55 East Monroe Street, 19th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603
(866) 582-4052 [email protected]
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>, <> <>
Don’t miss out on your Last Chance to
share your office’s experience!
The Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) data collection is closing on
and we have not yet received a response from your office.
Your office is invited to participate in a census of public defender offices across the United States and Territories. We
hope that you or another knowledgeable person in your office will complete the census. Please send us an email
at [email protected] or call us at (866) 582-4052 to request your office’s unique pin for the web survey or to
request a hard copy.
CPDO survey closing soon!
To the Office of <>,
The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) encourages your office to complete the Census of Public Defender Offices
(CPDO) survey. We are about to close data collection and we hope that your office will complete the survey so that we have
a current count of the number of public defender offices and the types of work that they do. NAPD has been involved with
the development of the census questions and fully supports the CPDO data collection, we want to ensure all voices are
heard and no office is excluded.
Completing the survey should take approximately 60 minutes and may be delegated to one or more knowledgeable staff in
your office. Please contact us by calling (866) 582-4052, emailing us at [email protected], or visiting our website,
www.CPDO.norc.org if you want to learn more about the survey and take part.
All surveys need to be completed by , to be included in our final results! To complete
the survey, follow the steps on the back or contact us through phone or email.
Step
Step
Enter your PIN <> at
www.CPDO.norc.org
Or Call us at (866) 582-4052
Complete
the survey
Sincerely,
The CPDO Team
WANT MORE
INFORMATION?
Call Us
(866) 582-4052
Email Us
[email protected]
Visit Us Online
Census of Public Defender Offices
(2023) | NORC at the University of
Chicago
Attachment 17
Dear (NAME),
On behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), NORC, NAPD, the Urban
Institute, and the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center, we would like to thank you for your participation
in the Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO). We truly appreciate your support in completing the CPDO
questionnaire and your willingness to provide information so that policymakers, researchers and the public
will have an increased body of knowledge about public defender offices and their operations. BJS will make the
results of the CPDO available on their web page: https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/census-public-defenderoffices-cpdo .
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (866) 582-4052 or by email at
[email protected].
Sincerely,
The CPDO Team
Attachment 18
October 10, 2024
Ryan Kling
Statistician, Judicial Statistics Unit, Bureau of Justice Statistics
810 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20531
VIA EMAIL: [email protected]
Re: OMB #1121-0095; Proposed eCollection - Reinstatement, With Change, of a Previously
Approved Collection: Census of Public Defender Offices
Dear Mr. Kling:
Pursuant to notice published in the Federal Register, the National Association of Counsel for Children
(NACC) submits these comments regarding the proposed information collection tool for the
Department of Justice’s Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO). NACC represents a national
membership community of attorneys who advocate in child protection courts on behalf of children,
parents, kin, and agencies. Our work is guided by our 2023 Policy Framework, which was shaped by
NACC’s staff, Board of Directors, members and lived experience Advisory Council. We promote best
practices for child protection legal representation, including when that work is housed in public
defender offices.
Although foster care court cases are civil in nature, legal representation for these matters is handled
by the public defender’s office in many jurisdictions.1 The reinstatement of the CPDO presents an
excellent opportunity to gather accurate information on this lesser-known aspect of public defender
practice. This is a most opportune moment to revisit data, as recently available funding under Title
IV-E may lead public defenders to increase their practice in this arena.
NACC recommends the following modest additions to the tool:
•
•
1
Section C (Caseload)
o Do attorneys that represent children in child protection cases also represent those
children in delinquency cases? (“Crossover” or “Dual System” Youth)
o In your office, what percentage of an attorney’s caseload is dedicated to child
protection legal representation – for parents? for children?
Section E (Office Resources)
o Does your office access federal Title IV-E funding for legal representation?
As of 2022, we are aware of 11 states where this infrastructure was in place for representation of youth in foster care:
Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont. West Virginia and
Wisconsin.
o Does your office require specialized training for attorneys providing legal
representation in child protection matters?
We welcome the opportunity to talk further about the important role of legal counsel for kids. Please
feel free to reach out to me using the information below.
Sincerely,
Allison Green, JD, CWLS
Legal Director, National Association of Counsel for Children
[email protected]
202-230-9128
Attachment 19
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Tatiana Ziff
Kling, Ryan (OJP)
[EXTERNAL] Comment for BJS Public Defender Survey
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 4:41:18 PM
Hello Ryan,
This is Tatiana from Partners for Justice, an organization that aims to transform public defense
nationally. I was hoping to reach out with a comment about the upcoming BJS national survey
of public defenders.
We would encourage the survey to inquire about the scope of client services that a public
defender provides clients outside of their immediate criminal legal matter. As recently
highlighted by the ABA in their Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System, issued in
April 2023, one of the essential components of effective representation is client-centered
advocacy rooted in a client's needs and goals. Specifically, the ABA states, “Public Defense
Providers should address civil and non-legal issues that are relevant to their clients' cases.
Public Defense Providers can offer direct assistance with such issues or establish
collaborations with, or provide referrals to civil legal services organizations, social services
providers, and other lawyers and non-lawyer professionals.” Understanding how public
defenders are able to comply with this recommendation can inform how resources can be
allocated to meet this need.
The survey question we are proposing could be phrased as such: "Does your office deploy
staff to address a client's civil and social service needs that are not directly related to the
criminal legal case?"
Please let me know if emailing you this comment is sufficient, or if there is anywhere else I
can submit it!
Best,
Tatiana
| File Type | application/pdf |
| Author | Kling, Ryan (OJP) |
| File Modified | 2024-11-26 |
| File Created | 2024-11-26 |