Earlier this weekend Governor Josh Shapiro announced an increase in funding for the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) which provides funding to public defense attorneys.
In 2023 Pennsylvania began to fund public defense attorneys from the state budget. But this year Governor Shapiro is looking to increase that spending from $7.5 million to $10 million.
Shapiro, the former attorney general on why he feels funding public defense is important.
“Some people were a little confused when I was attorney general and I spoke about the need to invest in public defenders. They asked ‘Why would you want that if you want to beat the other side?,'” Shapiro said. “Of course when we bring a case we want to win. But, we understand that justice could really be done if there was a fair fight in the courtroom.”
Pennsylvania was the second to last state to provide funding for public defenders.
