§ 2B:24-1 — Findings, declarations relative to municipal public defenders

1. The Legislature finds and declares: a. Municipal public defenders are a critical component of New Jersey's system for the administration of justice and the effective, fair and equal representation of the poor. b. As the New Jersey Supreme Court stated in Rodriguez v. Rosenblatt, 58 N.J.281 (1971), "as a matter of simple justice, no indigent defendant should be subjected to a conviction entailing imprisonment in fact or other consequence of magnitude without first having had due and fair opportunity to have counsel assigned without cost." c. The appointment of municipal public defenders increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the system and the professionalism of the municipal courts. d. Not all municipalities employ municipal public defenders, and in order to ensure the uniform and proper administration of justice, it is essential to require the appointment of municipal public defenders by each municipal government in the State. L.1997,c.256,s.1.