Public defenders in the federal system are paid roughly the same as their counterparts at the US Department of Justice, but state-level public defenders are not, and the pay disparity, is substantial. HB 3463 proposes pay parity for public defenders. That is the right thing to do, both as a matter of constitutional law, sound policy, and justice.
Public defenders are not as politically popular as police officers, prosecutors, and jails and prisons, but all of those things are necessary expenses in order to prosecute crimes and punish convicted criminals. If we want to save money on the criminal justice system (which is a great idea) the right way to do it is not to stiff the public defenders or any of the other public employees in the process; it is to prosecute fewer people.
