Part 2: Rebuild Confidence in the Criminal Justice System
Introduction:
Both the Texas Constitution and the United States Constitution ensure that an individual is entitled to legal representation regardless of whether he or she can afford it. Additionally, any individual wrongfully convicted of a crime is entitled to the available tools to prove his or her innocence. However, there are many obstacles to truth and justice in Texas’ criminal justice system, especially for individuals with limited resources.
Texas must make improvements to the provision of indigent defense services. Policy-makers should continue to allocate funds for effective indigent defense delivery models, such as public defender offices. Furthermore, policy-makers should provide defendants, as well as those who claim they are wrongfully convicted, with the means to ensure their innocence is proven – especially through improved front-end practices relating to the collection and presentation of evidence. Only through a strengthening of these models and policies can the State renew public trust and confidence in the justice system.