Criminal
Mar. 25, 2025
Proposed law aims to overhaul how 24 counties pay attorneys for criminal defense work
The bill backed by advocates for changes in the criminal justice system would ban flat-fee contracts for indigent defense in rural California counties, citing overwork, conflicts of interest and high incarceration rates. But the California District Attorneys Association says AB 690 threatens to create an uneven and costly system statewide.
A new bill aims to ban the kinds of contracts used to pay for indigent criminal defense in many rural areas in California. But the California District Attorneys Association opposes AB 690, claiming it will create a two-tiered system that disadvantages prosecutors and public defenders.
AB 690 would bar flat fee contracts for the private attorneys who represent defendants in the 24 counties that lack a public defender's office. The bill is backed by some of the same groups that...
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