§ 41-4-323 — Purpose; Employees; Compensation and Benefits; Payment of Expenses; Implementation; Additional Duties of Director

(a) The Office of Indigent Defense Services is established to carry out the administrative duties relating to the provision of indigent defense services. The director shall use existing employees of the Department of Finance and its existing offices, as assigned by the Director of Finance. The director’s salary shall not exceed the state salary paid to a district attorney and be paid at the same time and in the same manner that salaries of other state employees are paid. The Director of the Office of Indigent Defense Services shall be entitled to annual and sick leave, insurance, retirement, and other state employee benefits, including cost-of-living raises authorized by the Legislature for state employees.
(b) The director may enter into contracts, and accept funds, grants, and charitable donations from any public or private source to pay expenses incident to implementing the purposes of the Office of Indigent Defense Services.
(c)(1) The director shall be responsible for implementing in each judicial circuit the system for providing legal representation and related services for indigent defendants after the indigent defense advisory board selects the method to be used in the circuit. In determining the method for delivering indigent defense services, the indigent defense advisory board shall select the most efficient and effective counsel system available in each county or circuit, or parts of the county or circuit.
(2) The director shall develop policies and procedures for determining whether a person is an indigent defendant, and those policies and procedures shall be applied uniformly throughout the state. This article may not be construed to prevent the office from establishing guidelines for determining partial indigency and establishing policies and procedures for providing indigent defense services to persons determined to be partially indigent, including policies and procedures governing recoupment of fees and expenses expended in conjunction with the indigent defense services to include filing of liens. In accordance with the policies and procedures established by the office, the court shall determine in each case whether a person is an indigent defendant. If the court determines that a person is an indigent defendant, indigent defense services shall be provided as required by Section 15-12-5.
(3) The director shall allocate and disburse funds appropriated for legal representation and related services in the cases subject to this article pursuant to rules and procedures established and in accordance with the Budget Management Act. The director shall also have the authority to approve monetary allocations requested by and for appointed counsel, contract counsel, and public defender offices.
(4) If the director for any reason determines that a bill submitted for indigent defense services does not comply with this article, the director may request the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts to audit the bill.
(d) In addition to any other duties and responsibilities of the director, the director shall have the following duties and authority with respect to all indigent defense services, subject to the approval of the Director of Finance:
(1) Prepare and submit budget recommendations for state appropriations necessary for the maintenance and operation of the state indigent defense services, including the operation of the office, local indigent defense systems, appellate defender services, and, if established, an appellate defender office, and request annually a sum certain necessary to be appropriated from the State General Fund and the Fair Trial Tax Fund pursuant to Section 12-19-252, and in accordance with this article.
(2) Prepare reports and collect and compile statistical data and all other information on the operations, costs, and needs of the office, and any other information which may be required. The director shall prepare and submit an annual report on the work of the office to the Chief Justice, the Governor, and the Legislature.
(3) Develop rules and standards for the delivery of services under this article.
(4) Administer and coordinate the operations of the office and supervise compliance with standards adopted by the office.
(5) Recommend to the Director of Finance the hiring of professional, technical, and support personnel by the Director of Finance as deemed necessary for the efficient operation of the Office of Indigent Defense Services.
(6) Keep and maintain proper financial records of the office and of the indigent defense services provided.
(7) Apply for and accept on behalf of the office any funds that may become available from government grants, gifts, donations, bequests, or otherwise from any source.
(8) Coordinate the services of the office with any and all federal, county, or private programs established to provide assistance to indigent defendants, and consult with professional bodies concerning the improvement of the administration of indigent defense services.
(9) Offer or approve training programs for attorneys and others involved in the legal representation of persons subject to this article.
(10) Approve and administer the processing of all claims from private counsel relative to appointments to indigent defense cases.
(11) Administer the processing of all contracts for contract counsel relating to handling indigent criminal cases.
(12) Administer the processing of all monetary allocations requested by and for a public defender’s office relating to the annual operation of the requesting public defender’s office.

Legislative History

(Act 2011-678, p. 1862, §4.)