The report authors reviewed 28 cases, which accounts for the vast majority of Harris County cases that resulted in a death sentence over the past two decades. “That right, however, has been elusive in death penalty cases in Harris County, Texas, the death penalty capital of the nation and the world.”In a death penalty case, a defense lawyer’s job can be twofold. For comparison, Texas’ Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases, which handles death penalty cases across rural Texas, caps their attorneys at around five cases. Even today, the public defender’s office in Harris County is not funded to take death penalty cases and only handles about 20% of felony cases. The report noted that several studies have found public defenders outperformed appointed lawyers in death penalty cases.

Source: Huffington Post December 11, 2023 17:34 UTC