- Within six months, five staff members in the Hinds County Public Defender’s office left for better paying jobs.
The Hinds County Public Defender’s Office is seeking $350,000 in emergency funding from the Board of Supervisors to address a chronic staffing shortage, officials said Tuesday morning during a press conference.
Hinds County Public Defender Gail Wright Lowery said the office has 14 slots for staff attorneys, with 12 filled and two vacant. Within six months, five staff members left for better paying jobs.
The average starting salary at the Hinds County Public Defender’s Office is approximately $75,000 annually, while at the county’s Prosecuting Attorney’s Office it is $114,000 a year, said C.J. Lawrence, executive director of Defend Mississippi, a nonprofit aimed at improving public defense in the Magnolia State.
Advocates for increased funding underscored the need for funding. The consequences of underfunding are clear in Mississippi, the attorneys said. Mississippi counties collectively spend $21.5 million on public defense, while allotting $34 million on prosecution, said Lawrence.
“This imbalance creates the conditions that cost counties more in the long run. We don’t need to guess; low investment in public defense will save taxpayers and the county budget in Hinds County,” said Lawrence, noting that when an inmate sits in jail for months, it impacts their mental and physical health.
Lowery said last year, her office opened 1,600 cases, adding, “The attorneys in my office are in court five days a week.”
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors is slated to hear the funding request at its March 2 meeting. Lowery said she is “optimistic and hopeful” that the supervisors will pass the emergency funding increase request.
“I can appreciate and recognize that funds are strained, but I also know that public defense is a smart investment. Studies show that across the country, counties that invest in public defense save millions each year because early, effective representation avoids the costs of unnecessary jail time and keeps our citizens working instead of being detained,” said Lowery.
