Page 6 - MarchApril26 Report

For the conviction of the accused every weapon is provided and used, even those
poisoned by wrong and injustice. But what machinery is provided for the defense
of the innocent? None. Absolutely none. For its lesser duty of convicting the guilty it has equipped
and maintains an array and gives access to the public funds; for the higher one of defense of the
innocent there is neither counsel nor officer nor money… For every public prosecutor there
should be a public defender chosen in the same way and paid out of the same fund. Police and sher-
iffs should be equally at his command and the public treasury should be equally open to meet the
legitimate expenses of the defense and the prosecution… the inauguration of the office of public
defender would enable the State to do its duty to its citizens.”
Public Defender Rights of Persons Accused of Crime, Clara Shortridge Foltz (1893)
was clear that the accused coming before
the criminal courts in Hamilton County
were not being afforded their constitu-
tional rights.4
Thankfully, the Ohio Public Defender
Commission and the Hamilton County
government understood the importance
of changing course. Since the alarm was
rung in the 2008 report, Hamilton County
has heeded the call to ensure that not only
do the criminally accused in Hamilton
County receive adequate defense, but that
they receive the high-quality, expert repre-
sentation that Foltz called for so many
years ago. The Hamilton County Public
Defender Office today works to bring the
promise of Gideon v. Wainwright to our
clients each day. Our attorneys come from
across the country with a commitment to
public defense. They are duty-bound to
review the evidence, understand the law,
and challenge junk science that can lead
to wrongful convictions. They are tire-
less, highly skilled, well-trained litigators.
They understand the systemic inequities
and the real-life challenges of the clients
they serve.
As the office has grown, so has its
understanding of what true access to
justice looks like. Beyond the courtroom,
the office employs a holistic defense model
that utilizes investigators, paralegals,
and social workers. This holistic defense
team investigates each case, identifies the
root causes that bring people to criminal
courts, and connects clients to the help
they need so they can break out of a cycle
that would otherwise lead them right back
to the courthouse. This approach ulti-
mately makes Hamilton County safer.
The office also recognizes the many
collateral effects of criminal convictions
and juvenile adjudications and helps
people rejoin society and find oppor-
tunities after they have completed their
6 | march/april 2026 cba report