The Office of the Maryland Public Defender needs $28 million to comply with a court ruling that requires indigent defendants have lawyer at bail hearings.Prosecutors say it will cost local governments $83 million more.
Read MoreThe Maryland Public Defender’s Office overspent its budget budget in five of the last eight years, using “unrealistic amounts” to meet targets set by the state budget office, legislative auditors found.
Caseloads for more than 500 attorneys the state agency employs also vary widely, auditors found. The number of cases handled by attorneys in Baltimore City declined as rates rose for public defenders in rural and suburban area such as Baltimore County.
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