Public defender sign-up in city on Wednesday
STAMFORD — The state Division of Public Defender Services is sending a team of newly minted attorneys and law school graduates to the Stamford courthouse on Wednesday to sign up new clients, whose court appearances have been delayed by the pandemic.
Attorney Douglas Ovian, Supervisory Assistant Public Defender for the Public Defender Community Outreach Program, said the team will be in front of the Stamford courthouse from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ovian said the appearance is one of 13 such visits the team is making to each one of the state’s Judicial District courthouses by the end of the month.
While any defendants from around the state are welcome to sign up for representation, the Stamford courthouse now has sole responsibility for criminal cases originating in Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Westport, Wilton and Easton.
Ovian said the open air sign-ups at the courthouses was the idea of Chief Public Defender Christine Rapillo and Deputy Chief Public Defender John Day, as a way for defendants who have not yet been given easy access to a public defender to make an application for representation.
Many defendants in custody, those facing serious charges or those unable to make bond, have already had public defenders assigned to them at their arraignments, providing they qualified for those services, Ovian said.
But over the past six months, as courthouses were closed, many defendants were given arraignment dates well into the future. Those are now beginning to come due, so the sign-up effort is being made to give those defendants an opportunity — in an open air setting — to avail themselves of a public defender, Ovian said.
The courthouse’s lead public defender, Barry Butler, said he was appreciative of the help.
“Because so many of the people who were arrested had their cases continued due to the pandemic, many have still not been arraigned. And this is an effort to lessen the burden on the criminal court personnel when everyone shows up for their next court date,” Butler said. “The chief’s office in Hartford is being creative and came up with solutions to assist these indigent individuals.”
Those without dependents must make less than $24,280 to qualify for public defender services. With three dependents, a defendant must make less than $50,200, according to state guidelines.
Ovian said there will be at least one more opportunity in October to sign up for a public defender at the Stamford courthouse. But defendants may go to other courthouses to put in their applications, he said.
After Wednesday the team will be at the Waterbury Courthouse on Thursday, Rockville on Friday, New Britian on Sept. 29 and Danielson on Sept. 30.