The Office of Public Defense (OPD) was originally established in 1996 to “implement the constitutional guarantee of counsel” and “ensure the effective and efficient delivery of the indigent appellate services funded by the state of Washington.” OPD is scheduled to terminate on June 30, 2008, pursuant to the Washington Sunset Act. As required by this legislation, JLARC has conducted a sunset review which asked to what extent OPD is 1) complying with legislative intent; 2) operating in an efficient and economical manner, with adequate cost controls in place; 3) reaching expected performance goals and targets; and 4) duplicating activities performed by another agency or the private sector.  The report recommends that the Legislature repeal the sunset provision. Absent specific action by the Legislature, the Office of Public Defense will cease to exist on June 30, 2008.

Fara Daun, Analyst
Ruta Fanning, Project Manager