******PUBLICATION ADVISORY******

PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICES, 2007 ? STATISTICAL TABLES RELEASED

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice?s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) released Public Defender Offices, 2007 ? Statistical Tables (NCJ 228538), which examines offices that provide representation for indigent defendants through a salaried staff of full-time or part-time attorneys who are employed as direct government employees or through a public, nonprofit organization.

Public defender offices are categorized according to whether they are principally funded and administered at the state government level, county level, or through a combination of county and state or federal government. Topics include public defender office staffing, caseloads, expenditures, and standards and guidelines used by the nearly 1,000 public defender offices found across 49 states and the District of Columbia.

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The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information can be found at https://ojp.gov.

BJS 10022