The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) is a federally funded, independent legal organization
governed by an eleven-member Board of Trustees. The organization was created by a federal statute[1] enacted to comply
with a constitutional mandate to provide defense counsel to poor people[2] in criminal, juvenile, and mental health
proceedings. In the District of Columbia, PDS is authorized to provide representation for up to sixty percent of people
who are annually determined to be financially unable to obtain adequate representation. Those not represented by PDS are
represented by private attorneys compensated by the Criminal Justice Act (CJA).[3] PDS generally handles the more serious,
more complex, resource-intensive, and time-consuming criminal cases and juvenile delinquency cases. PDS attorneys also
handle criminal appeals, almost all parole revocation hearings, and most Superior Court Drug Intervention Program (Drug
Court) sanction hearings and represent people facing involuntary commitment in the mental health system, children with
special education needs facing delinquency charges, and clients in civil proceedings whose issues were triggered by their
criminal charges or their incarceration. In addition, PDS provides technical assistance to the local criminal justice system,
offers training for PDS staff and other defense attorneys and investigators who represent those who cannot afford counsel,
and develops innovative approaches to representation. PDS routinely provides representation in the D.C. Superior Court
(Superior Court) and the D.C. Court of Appeals (Court of Appeals) and, at times, represents clients in the United States
District Court for D.C. (U.S. District Court), the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (U.S. Court of Appeals),
and the United States Supreme Court (Supreme Court).
Our Legal Services Divisions
PDS and private attorneys, both appointed by the District of Columbia courts pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act, provide
constitutionally mandated legal representation to indigent people facing a loss of liberty in the District of Columbia. PDS
handles a majority of the most difficult, complicated criminal cases, while private (CJA) attorneys handle the majority of the
less serious felony, misdemeanor, and regulatory offenses. PDS is a model program applying a holistic approach to representation
and uses both general litigation skills and specialty practices to provide complete, quality representation in its complex cases.
Our Legal Support Services Divisions
Legal Support Services is composed of various professionals within PDS who work closely with attorneys on individual cases: the
Investigations Division; the Office of Rehabilitation and Development (ORD); the Defender Services Office (DSO); and the paralegal,
language, and library services staff. Investigators ensure that each case is carefully investigated prior to a decision to accept
a plea offer or proceed to trial. Forensic social workers in ORD provide presentencing assistance to address mitigation issues and
to provide program alternatives for appropriate clients. DSO coordinates the appointment of lawyers to eligible clients. Other legal
support services staff include a multilingual language specialist who facilitates communication with non-English speaking clients,
a librarian who manages PDS’s specialized collection of legal resources and electronic access to research, and two paralegals who
work on cases and projects.
Other PDS Programs in Support of the D.C. Court System
References