Boston (AP). More than 120 cases, including some of the family members and police attacks, were dismissed on Tuesday in Boston, the last monthly downturn of wages, which led to public defenders to accept new customers.
Mostly, the Boston Municipal Court, Tracy-Lee Lyons, after the case, called the Lavalllee protocol in the empty court hall. The cases are required to be annulled if the defendant did not have a lawyer for 45 days and released from prison if they did not have seven days. Tuesday was the first time it was used to throw cases, and in recent weeks the suspects have been released.
Most of them were dedicated to minor crimes such as shops, drug storage and motor vehicles.
However, several cases of attacks of police officers and domestic violence were involved. One suspect struck his pregnant girl in his stomach and pushed her in the face. In another case, there was a woman allegedly attacked by her child’s father, who threatened to kill her and tried to strangle her. In the third case, there was a suspect who allegedly struck a police officer and threatened to shoot him.
The judge, re -appealing to the Lavallle protocol, dismissed almost all cases after being convinced that the public defenders were working hard to find the defendants as a lawyer. No accused in court heard how their cases were dismissed.
“This case will be dismissed without prejudice,” Lyon said repeatedly, noting that all fines and taxes will be abandoned.
The disappointment of prosecutors on the abandoned cases
Prosecutors failed to contradict many cases, especially the most serious dismissal.
“Today, the case rejects that in the coming days and weeks, even more is expected, pose a clear and constant threat to public security,” said James Borghesani, a spokesman for the Puffolk County Law Firm. They promised to re -perform all the cases.
“Our prosecutors and proponents of the victim’s witnesses work very hard to keep the victims and others influenced by what is happening to their cases,” he continued. “These are difficult conversations. We look forward to find a structural solution that would solve the causes here and prevent repeating the way.”
Democratic governor Maura Healey, while talking to Fall River journalists, said the situation needed to be resolved.
“This is a matter of public security and the right issue of the process because people need representation,” she said. “I know the parties are talking. They have to find a way to solve it. We need lawyers’ lawyers … And they really need to be paid correctly.”
The dispute revolves around the salary
Public defenders who claim that they are the least paid in New England have begun a suspension at the end of May, hoping to press the legislature to increase his hourly salary. The State Agency representing public defenders offered to increase salary from $ 65 per hour to $ 73 per hour in the next two fiscal years at the District Court, increases from $ 85 to $ 105 per hour per hour at a higher court and $ 120 to $ 150 to $ 150.
However, in 2026. There was no increase in the fiscal year’s budget – $ 60.9 billion signed at the beginning of this month by Healey.
“Today, cases have to be abandoned in accordance with Lavallee protocols for those who are accused of crimes, but no lawyer justifies the rights of his Constitution,” said Shira Diner, a lecturer at Boston University Law School and the nearest former Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. ” Until the courts have enough qualified lawyers to fulfill the constitutional commitment of the law advice to advise this crisis only intensify. “
The salary of public defenders is a national question
Massachusetts is the latest state that tries to properly fund its public defense system.
In New York, legal aid lawyers require better wages and working conditions. Earlier this month, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has signed a two -year state budget, which increases the salary of public defenders and district lawyers over the next two years. This occurs after 2023. The legislature also increased his salary to deal with rising cases, high circulation and low salaries.
Defenders of Minnesota Society 2022 Directed a stroll that threatened to stop the judiciary. A year later, the legislature came up with more funds to the State Defense Council so that it could comply with what the American Bar Association recommends that the load standards are being managed.
Meanwhile, Oregon has been fighting a critical shortage of lawyers for many years for low -income defendants. As of Tuesday, nearly 3,500 defendants had no public defender, the Oregon Judicial Department’s dashboard showed. About 143 people were detained, some for more than seven days.
Last month, legislators approved more than $ 2 million for defense lawyers last month to take more files that were most affected by a disadvantage and more than $ 3 million.