In the U.S.? In theory; but in practice, there are a lot of problems with the system. A couple of sources, pointing out the failings and holes: https://apnews.

In the U.S.? In theory; but in practice, there are a lot of problems with the system. A couple of sources, pointing out the failings and holes: https://apnews.com/article/court-decisions-eric-holder-supreme-court-of-the-united-states-united-states-government-96e348cdc34b448e84d4ad346debd417 https://apnews.com/article/court-decisions-eric-holder-supre... highlights the fact that this right extends only to criminal matters, many if not most defendants don't actually receive proper representation, and are subject to political motivations. https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/national-survey-indigent-defense-systems-nsids-2013 https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/national-survey-indigent... highlights some numbers around things like most systems for indigent defense still requiring payment, like application fees or recoupment, and the lack of lawyers in public defenders offices. Remember also that this is only the system if the court decides you "can't pay" and that's not the same thing as "can't pay without selling your house" or "can't pay without cleaning out your $1000 savings account". Judges can decide that since you're living at home your parents can afford to sell their assets to finance your defense, etc. So it's quite porous and there are people who can't afford an effective defense as we would understand but don't meet a judge's interpretation of their state's standard for indigency.