When you can (barely) afford an attorney after rotting in county with a shit waffle public attorney begging you to take a deal you're not exactly a threat. Pub

When you can (barely) afford an attorney after rotting in county with a shit waffle public attorney begging you to take a deal you're not exactly a threat. Public defenders are notoriously shitty. I have an acquaintance who gets into legal trouble every now and then that is quite smart despite being so stupid. He uses a public defender most of the time and has to actively micro-manage them. This includes what motions to file and who to contact. If he is in jail this can also require reaching out to friends to visit the defender in person so they can't just ignore him. If he doesn't do this they just ask him to take a deal. They are underpaid, overworked and they deal with actual shitty evil people every day and sometimes the only way to tell the difference between them and the innocent is simply their word. Attorneys you hire can overcome the last issue by being paid enough to offset it. I think the public defender system needs a complete overhaul. I can't think of any solutions that don't have their own downsides but everyone deserves a fair trial and an attorney whose interests are aligned with their own. The best outcome you can hope for right now if you're poor and subject to prosecution is either a rare defender who cares but is also not overworked or a bright eyed and bushy tailed grad who's out to change their world.