Maine authorities blame armed standoff on public defender shortage
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- Maine authorities are saying that an armed standoff is partially due to a public defender shortage in the state. This comes as a man who previously served 15 years for stabbing his partner was let out on bail for not being appointed a public defender. Three days later he went on a rampage leaving two houses on fire. » Subscribe to NBC News: / nbcnews
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#standoff #maine #nbcnewsnow
Who would have thought a job that requires +6 years of college with a cost of $185,000-$250,000 and pays $57,000 annually might have shortages.
Upvoted. Sometimes we need a dose of basic economics to make sense when journalists are left there scrambling to form a narrative.
Everybody loves a free market till it’s their turn to pay the bill
Also with long stressful hours
If they don't have a prosecutor/attorney general shortage then there is no reason for a public defender shortage as the two have the same requirements you described. Maine's problem seems to be it's Public Defender system. Rather than an actual agency with full time attorney staff they seem to exclusively rely contracted/per diem attorneys. Most other states use primarily full time public defenders
It tends to be filed by those who failed to get into a high paying position. Not good enough to be a prosecutor or high paying defense attorney then get a job defending the poor. This is also why rich people use expensive lawyers, you get payed based on skill and lack of skill leaves you at the courthouse. There are a few good ones, but yeah, overall it’s the lawyers who barely made it through college.
Blaming this on a "public defender shortage" is pretty ridiculous. Quite a few bad decisions led up to this.
The same thing is happening in Pennsylvania... It is a public defender problem...
This definitely is the fault of the judge.
@@scottmiller8617 For holding the state to its constitutional obligations? How so?
Blame is part and parcel of the Millennial/ GenZ mindset.
It seems that is one of the main reasons he was let out thought according to court records.
No shortage of brand new police vehicles.
A small New England city I used to live in (pop ~44K) somehow afforded a brand new Hummer H3 with an all-over D.A.R.E. custom wrap
If you saw the amount of engine idling hours cop cars have you'd realize just how run down into the ground those engines are and no you need to run the engines to power high output radio antennas so the various systems can communicate with the department headquarters.
Because cop cars do not last, too much wear and tear.
Man go tell that bs to a crown Vic! Some departments are using them to this day! You need more propaganda. Like in this vid. They wear them out so they can charge us to buy new ones news flash EINSTEIN it$ called PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE. What would the point be if we only paid 3% in taxes you oaf
@@KILLKING110 Sounds like a smart up and coming engineer could fix that problem.
The judge can't toss aside the US Constitution simply because the state failed to provide counsel, and any attempts to continue to prosecute the guy without counsel would have failed. Blame the state lawmakers.
She's not tossing it aside. The constitution is what set him free.
@@drg8687 They didn't say she tossed it aside. They stated she CAN'T toss aside the Constitution, meaning exactly what you are stating, which is the constitution is what she upheld, and what set him free.
@@Desantisgogoboots Oh, I see. I read that wrong.
He could have stayed in jail while they find him a public defender. You dont have to have a lawyer to sit in jail.
@sasquatchwithinternetacces2940 There's a right to a speedy trial, so no, they couldn't just wait until he got a lawyer. That's a right every American has and is no less significant than the rights and protections provided by the First Amendment.
Enough funding for prosecutors but not defenders, how does this happen? and a judge who was sorely misinformed. $1500 and a psychopath was let loose on the community all to protect His rights. Pretty upside down.
😂 this is what happens when you give all your money to cops
@@HiDefHDMusic You mean most of the money spent on layers and layers of lawyers on a system that is so broke it should be totally scrapped.
@@johnskibajr5691 it’s called the constitution 😂 if you don’t like it you can move to any other country on the planet
@@HiDefHDMusic Our current justice system has very little to do with that document.
Your motto must be if it is broke, don't fix it.
Are you saying you think the judge should've violated the constitution?
Don't want to properly fund a department then complain it's underfunded later is hypocrisy at it's finest.
Here's an idea: In order to pass the state bar and retain their license, an attorney must serve a certain amount of hours as a public defender each year. They'll be paid for those hours of course, at the normal public rate.
Thus giving every client the least experienced and untried lawyers?
@@badlyniceness2315 No. If you read I said, in order to pass and RETAIN their license to practice, they would need to perform so many hours.
The US certainly has no shortage of lawyers, it's simply a matter of prying some of them away from their lucrative corporate gigs in order to do some public good.
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
This country is done
It's a zombie at this point .....oozing pus ...skin falling off
LOL!!! How about we apply that same nonsense to you?
@@badlyniceness2315 every lawyer has to renew their liscence each year, not just the "D" students. so highly qualified lawyers will have to be public defenders too. It's called reading and comprehension skills buddy. blame your teachers for not teaching you this skill.
Maine
Pros: Lobster
Cons: Lack of public defenders
Government fingerpointing never gets old.
These judges are all elected in unopposed elections. Their M.O. is to stay in their position and keep the money rolling in, with justice being more of an occasional and unfortunate by-product
This is a failure on the judges part; pure and simple. You don't lower bail to $1500 for a man with "attempted murder"; and then act surprised when he kills when out on bail?
Most states require defense attorneys to participate in the public defender program. Why not Maine?
That's not true as how would good quality attorneys have time to build good cases as you're claim would mean that the public defenders shortage nation wide is pure propaganda.
@@KILLKING110learn to speak English
@@KILLKING110You don't have a right to a good case. You have a right to counsel.
Here’s a novel idea. How about if you want your student loan debt forgiven for your law degree. First you must serve your state with 5 years as a public defender. Seems like a win win.
Some states already do that.
Here’s an even more novel idea: make education affordable so people are no longer enslaved to their loans.
@@drtg101we7 Far, Far better idea however not based in reality anytime in the near or distant future. However lots of attorneys start in the public defenders office, Some then go on to be prosecutors.
I would say something more a long the lines of 2 years for 50% loan forgiveness, and 4 years for 100% forgiveness. Will get more people on a split plan.
This already exists. It is called the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
I don't like this idea because the younger generation overpaid for school. So overcharge us and make us work for the government for 4 years. When in reality the debt should be a fraction of what it is and should be paid off in about a year.
The reason why there isn’t enough public defenders out there is because they don’t get paid enough for the work they do.
Then the police unions must also accept financial responsibility every time there is a financial judgment against their members, instead of the taxpayers paying the bill.
If you try to treat cops like normal people then they will retaliate against you. They demand to be treated as first-class citizens and everybody else belongs to a lower class.
In most states, when their isn't a PD available, the state will hire a private attorney to take the case.
Would this be possible in Maine?
You then have to find attorneys who will take the low pay
Maybe if they didn't pay public defenders like elementary school teachers more would sign up for the job
this is NOT A LOOPHOLE. IT IS THE RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION. They cannot hold you without representation forever. That itself is a crime and that is why the AUTHORITIES are pointing to a LEGITIMATE issue. They are not trying to let him out. They have no choice. It is not just the constitution but THE BILL OF RIGHTS which gives an individual this freedom
Sound like the us justice system was broken from the get go
Outrageous. Absolutely outrageous.
There is not a shortage of lawyers, there is a shortage of tax revenue to pay for them.
As an American, we have the right to due process and it protects us from being unfairly prosecuted. In this case, the state's government failed the people by not providing a proper supply of public defenders to that county to keep this from happening. This isn't the judge's fault that she followed the constitution as it is designed to work. This is a failure of legislation that has failed the people of Maine
Judges never make mistakes its that easy right, no accountability
And yet you're still not going to do anything about it because excuses😂😂
Whats your point? Are you slow?
Like it or not people have rights.
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”
@@divergentthg7925 I am spreading awareness right here thats doing something, you responded
@@pipagsock4205 everybody is aware of it people just need to start physically taking action. But that's not going to happen because everybody's too busy being aware without action
I wonder why we don't have alot of public defender compare to injury lawyer? Oh could it be that public defender aren't paid well enough where it make more sense to become a injury lawyer. It like the system built for lawyer and lawyer are primarly job is making money not justice.
How about a Combo lawyer category: Public Defender and Public Injury lawyer?
This is also next to Lewiston btw, the place that was had the bowling alley shooting earlier this year.
It was always the sketchiest part of Maine, but this area does get worse day by day. This event was only a few blocks away from me. I guess I'll have to leave soon.
Don't look back.
Haha! No where to run
Trumpers always trumpin...🤦🏻♂️
Lewiston is right next to well respected Auburn. So hire Public Defenders to live in Auburn, and serve in Lewiston.
So lack of public defenders gives you the right to release dangerous people into the public? Everyone needs to be fired and charged with crimes.
Yes, that is literally how our constitution works. The alternative is a country in which the police can arbitrarily accuse people of crimes and either hold them indefinitely without trial, or where people are tried in a kangaroo court without proper representation. If the state of Maine cared about not releasing violent criminals, they'd ensure their justice system was given the resources to quickly bring them to trial.
@@KozuFox That is the most Beta male response Iv heard in a while.
The state can outsource the job to private law offices.
Many states do to a greater or lesser extent. But the compensation rate that private court-appointed counsel receives matters a lot.
For those saying "just hire more public defenders" how many lawyers are you willing to force at gun point to become public defenders for free you can't domino effect the violation of multiple people's rights.
Yes, but state legislatures can appropriate sufficient funding for PD offices and court-appointed lawyers. Justice will never be cheap if we're doing it right.
How can you blame the judge? He took an oath to uphold the constitution... the issue is the lack of public offenders.
I don't blame the judge. I blame the government
The law is the law. Its not the judge's fault for following the law. Don't like it, start investing in more prisons or the people.
This is why bail bond is wrong, lock them up or let them. Why was this guy even offered bail
Take money from the law enforcement budget and use that money for public defenders.
So, seeing what has happened in cities where they "De-funded" the police, you still think that foolishness is a good idea ???? Wake up !
A shortage of either prosecutors or defense attorneys is never good for the criminal justice system, or criminal defendants for that matter.
My brother's life was taken by a man who had a history of bad driving in Maine.
Young was in jail 6 months before he killed my brother and injured 4 others. The write-up on Young was driving to danger and evading police. 6 months later, young caused a large car accident on route 1 just past the taste of Maine on the bridge. Young only got 20 months in jail. I had to listen to the judge say he was guilty of spending in that same area as Young as he reduces the speed of Youngs vehicles because the road goes down hill heading east. The speed limit is 35 mph, and Young was going 73 mph, and the judge reduced his speed. My brother was only going 27 mph heading west. I watched the sheriff of bath laugh in the video of the accident saying that rescue messed up the scene. Do your job, you lazy bleep bleep. The judge says Young also gets to keep his drivers license. So yeah, Mainers Young is still driving.
How would a public defender help? Would the public defender have kept him in prison? Makes no sense to me. The judge ignored the prosecutor and made a bad call.
Quite literally, yes. It's unconstitutional to hold someone or go to trial without giving them legal representation. The prosecutor was asking the judge to violate his oath to our constitution. The judge made the correct call.
That’s what they’re going with?
You wouldn't have a problem with getting public defenders if your corrupt system if you allowed the defenders to actually defend their clients,It's the same thing that's happening in Oregon,Where Washington county has a 93% conviction rate
Interesting . . . I think his bale was lowered for the same reason it happens everywhere. Bad judges who are not accountable.
Bale. A block of hay.
Bail. Money for release from jail.
Did you miss the part where there were no public defender available? Did you know there's more to the Constitution than 2A?
So you believe that the judge should ignore the constitutional rights of defendants? Does this apply to all of their rights? Are you OK with a judge telling YOU that you're going to jail because you said that judges are bad and unaccountable (1st amendment) or going to jail because you legally possess a gun (2nd amendment)? Or, are you only OK with the judiciary ignoring the OTHER GUY's constitutional rights? (Yeah...I thought so.)
At what point in time does the court require a Dr's opinion on individuals? They need help
This crap needs to stop in America and we need to hold the politicians accountable!
what? they litteraly let him out has nothign to do with public defenders.
They literally let him out because they couldn't assign him a public defender, and holding someone without one is unconstitutional.
Pay the public defenders more…problem solved.
There’s like a hundred thousand lawyers looking for a job, but none of them want to be a public defender?
They get like $80 a case dude 😂 not a single attourney has ever *wanted* to be a public defender and least of all for the money 😂
Why is a violent offender eligible for bail at all... so if he was rich he would have done this weeks sooner...
I need to make plans for that... truth.
How about simply having some one from the District Attorney's office represent the defendant.
1:02 Why is she so smiley and happy? This clip was either taken out of context or she is smirking about the fact that people died. In any case, NBC needs to read the room.
The dumbest part about it was literally anyone could have been his public defender and he would have been guilty and sent to prison and the boyfriend would still be alive and the cops wouldn't have spent all that tax payer money killing the guy. LOL
No anyone can not be a public defender, what an ignorant statement, everyone has the right to a fair trial and if you assign someone who is not experienced the sentence would be overturned and he would be free and could not be tried again due to double jeopardy.
They do know that when you do not have enough public defenders you can make a lawyer do it pro bono.
Wow... this seems to be happening a lot across our great country! Spend billions on policing and then spend nothing on the extra court appointed attorneys and you end up with this! Nice going judge! Better to pay for that guy's attorney at any cost and save the lives and property of the citizens? Now look at the mess! Good luck keeping your job!
They want to keep us all locked in cages. Lawyers/ Public defenders aren't helping their agenda. Especially good ones lol
lol, stop being so emotional. The judge did nothing wrong! She upheld the constitution. This is a state level, law makers issue and THEY should be responsible. The news story neglected to discuss WHY the shortage. I would imagine public defenders are not lined up to work. There are more issues at play here. That judge would have lost her license had she not let him free. But you will be probably say "good" instead of holding the correct people responsible.
Yeah dude we’ve been telling you this is happening for 10 years but keep voting for Trump and pretending this is a “great country” 😂
if someone a judge lets go goes out and does more crimes that judge should be held responsible
Everyone hates public defenders until you're too poor to afford a lawyer and the cops pin something on you.
Public defense is like the unpaid internship of the legal profession
Sometimes the best lawyer is no lawyer at all
so he could afford the 1500 dollars bail but couldn't put 1500 down towards a lawyer ?
Are you stupid? Do you have any idea how much lawyers cost?
Aren’t big law firms required to do a certain amount of pro bono work? Why aren’t they being wrangled to help?
Maine should forgive student debt of all future public defenders. That’ll make people want to do it.
Pay public defenders more.
Pay mental health professionals more.
Pay social workers more.
Then save lives and save million of $ in police actions.
They'll create a new bureaucrat position at $175k, spend $500k on a contracted study, build a new $10 million office and then hire 2 public defenders at $50k salary.
Good news criminals, we are short staffed.
How about starting to pay people a living wage and more people could afford their own attorneys. That way there would be more public defenders available for indigent citizens.
there's towns in missouri that refuse to give you a public defender. nixa missouri is one of them.
and you are complaining about illegal immigrants...LOLOOL
No this is a fricking mental health crisis! Just glad that he had no fricking guns!
Yes and thank a Republican for not only identifying the problem but doing something to solve the problem.🤔🤣😂🤣
Unbelievable
Take 25% of the militsr budget and restricture your police.
Im sorry you don't let go a violent offender that has a violent history of reoffending... this isn't rocket science
Thank you for letting everyone know you don’t understand what’s going on
ACLU is doing good work on this. In Pennsylvania too.
The people in charge know exactly what they are doing. They are very sneaky.
Yes, because the rights of criminals outweigh everyone else's rights to be safe in their community.
Blame public defender shortage on bad policy, and low wages for such a tough job
What is a “public defender”? It sounds like the judge failed. 0:55 oh, the attorney? Wow. Yeah. The system of “public defenders” is not just broken-it is worthless. I had occasion to require the aid of a public defender, and I will hate him until I forget who he is.
Shortage of public defenders? Sounds like its a high crime issue more then a shortage of defenders. Start at the root of the problem, solve those issues and u won't have high crime which leads to your shortage of defenders. Help folks before they become criminals.
Stop paying your prosecutors and politicians so much, and pay for some good public defenders.
Bail is blood money
Hire police instead
What? No comment about his race or immigration status? That's odd.
The same people who deliberately let gentrifiers walk into their community.
If there is a shortage, then raise their pay to something more comparable to other defense lawyers. Simple.
There’s a reason why they’re called public pretenders
This is the start of the "Idiocracy" prediction.
Tell people youll pay off their colkege debt after a years work and youll have enough.
What about victim services notifying the victim about his impending release? That has nothing to do with the assignment of defense attorneys.
And they were not aware that shortages would impact people's rights ???? 😳😠😠😠 Why are they in that job ????
The judge clearly had no other choice under the circumstances. This is a perfect example of why major problems like these need to be addressed sooner and made a higher priority. It's not just about making sure people's rights aren't violated, but also people's safety. Hopefully this is at least a wake up call for the state to put more effort into fixing this problem that has been an ongoing issue for way too long.
Pay and respect the PD's, maybe some will stay.
Everyone is pointing fingers, no one wants to take responsibility.
Do we have a shortage of Public Defenders, a Bumper Crop of Criminals or a TREMENDOUS BACKLOG OF CASES because we didn't seat any jury's during COVID.
Most cases don't go to trial, but many cases have a defense attorney paid for by the defendant or paid for at taxpayer expense.
@@TrevorBrass Yes; I understand that many cases are plea bargained and that some defendants hire an attorney or else have one appointed by the court.
However; that's not what is currently happening in Maine.
It's that there are No public defenders left to be appointed for indigent defense.
This has led to an avalanche of releases from jail and dismissed cases; plus a widespread catch and release policy for all but the most serious crimes is now in effect.
In short; our system here in Maine is crumbling.
Always got money for cops, judges , and prosecutors.
In my area of Tennessee (don't know if its a state law) every lawyer must work so many free cases as a PD.
That's a total desaster.
I started with not giving the... guy... a lawyer.
You wonna solve this.
This is the moment it all went wrong. So start your efforts right there.
It can easily be proven this "all went wrong" long before the man even needed a lawyer. Stop making excuses for criminals.
The Sixth Amendment guarantees the rights of criminal defendants, including the right to a public trial without unnecessary delay.
I rest my case.
@@chriswerth918 You need rest, but your case needs work. You didn't address my comment. You don't need a public defender if you weren't accused of a crime (with evidence)
If a bar lets a drunk drive and dies, it's also the bars fault.
Why are known alcohol consumers allowed to drive cars?
They blamed it on the woke judge !
I thought the Judge had the authority to appoint Public Defenders from Lawyers they are Officers of the court correct? Every heard of Pro bono?
So the state can just enslave lawyers now? 😂
@@HiDefHDMusic They are not enslaved Einstein they are officers of the court. It is in their Bar License. You do realize Pro bono means "for the good of the public", you know like the ten commandants from God. It is Latin if you did not know.
@@herbtapp3031 ‘pro bono’ refers to an attorney that *volunteers* to represent someone for no charge, not when the court forces them too 😂
Our system doesnt know what to do without poor blood to fuel it
Sounds like a city problem to me
How about the ACLU step up and help another human instead of what ever they are doing ? ACLU should get what their name implies they have a clue .
What about the constitutional rights of THE VICTIMS?
The whole justice system is trash. Start over
The judge in the end made the wrong decision, and they sleep at night 😮
State of Maine loves to place blame.
As a firm believer in justice as well as the 6th amendment right to council, i can honestly say this is a tragedy and a miscarriage of justice no matter how you look at it. In every way imaginable. But for the police to blame the judge? I'm sorry, but THAT JUDGE WAS JUST DOING THEIR JOB!!! Sometimes, it is not easy to balance the constitutional rights of a defendant with a perceived need for public safety. But, IT HAS TO BE DONE!!!⚖️