Section 600.042

Title XXXVIII CRIMES AND PUNISHMENT; PEACE OFFICERS AND PUBLIC DEFENDERS

Chapter 600

Effective - 28 Aug 2016, 5 histories, see footnote   (history) 

  600.042.  Director's duties and powers — cases for which representation is authorized — rules, procedure — discretionary powers of defender system — bar members appointment authorized. — 1.  The director shall:

  (1)  Direct and supervise the work of the deputy directors and other state public defender office personnel appointed pursuant to this chapter; and he or she and the deputy director or directors may participate in the trial and appeal of criminal actions at the request of the defender;

  (2)  Submit to the commission, between August fifteenth and September fifteenth of each year, a report which shall include all pertinent data on the operation of the state public defender system, the costs, projected needs, and recommendations for statutory changes.  Prior to October fifteenth of each year, the commission shall submit such report along with such recommendations, comments, conclusions, or other pertinent information it chooses to make to the chief justice, the governor, and the general assembly.  Such reports shall be a public record, shall be maintained in the office of the state public defender, and shall be otherwise distributed as the commission shall direct;

  (3)  With the approval of the commission, establish such divisions, facilities and offices and select such professional, technical and other personnel, including investigators, as he deems reasonably necessary for the efficient operation and discharge of the duties of the state public defender system under this chapter;

  (4)  Administer and coordinate the operations of defender services and be responsible for the overall supervision of all personnel, offices, divisions and facilities of the state public defender system, except that the director shall have no authority to direct or control the legal defense provided by a defender to any person served by the state public defender system;

  (5)  Develop programs and administer activities to achieve the purposes of this chapter;

  (6)  Keep and maintain proper financial records with respect to the provision of all public defender services for use in the calculating of direct and indirect costs of any or all aspects of the operation of the state public defender system;

  (7)  Supervise the training of all public defenders and other personnel and establish such training courses as shall be appropriate;

  (8)  With approval of the commission, promulgate necessary rules, regulations and instructions consistent with this chapter defining the organization of the state public defender system and the responsibilities of division directors, district defenders, deputy district defenders, assistant public defenders and other personnel;

  (9)  With the approval of the commission, apply for and accept on behalf of the public defender system any funds which may be offered or which may become available from government grants, private gifts, donations or bequests or from any other source.  Such moneys shall be deposited in the state general revenue fund;

  (10)  Contract for legal services with private attorneys on a case-by-case basis and with assigned counsel as the commission deems necessary considering the needs of the area, for fees approved and established by the commission;

  (11)  With the approval and on behalf of the commission, contract with private attorneys for the collection and enforcement of liens and other judgments owed to the state for services rendered by the state public defender system;

  (12)  Prepare a plan to establish district offices, the boundaries of which shall coincide with existing judicial circuits.  Any district office may contain more than one judicial circuit within its boundaries, but in no event shall any district office boundary include any geographic region of a judicial circuit without including the entire judicial circuit.  The director shall submit the plan to the chair of the house judiciary committee and the chair of the senate judiciary committee, with fiscal estimates, by December 31, 2014.  The plan shall be implemented by December 31, 2021.

  2.  No rule or portion of a rule promulgated under the authority of this chapter shall become effective unless it has been promulgated pursuant to the provisions of section 536.024.

  3.  The director and defenders shall, within guidelines as established by the commission and as set forth in subsection 4 of this section, accept requests for legal services from eligible persons entitled to counsel under this chapter or otherwise so entitled under the constitution or laws of the United States or of the state of Missouri and provide such persons with legal services when, in the discretion of the director or the defenders, such provision of legal services is appropriate.

  4.  The director and defenders shall provide legal services to an eligible person:

  (1)  Who is detained or charged with a felony, including appeals from a conviction in such a case;

  (2)  Who is detained or charged with a misdemeanor which will probably result in confinement in the county jail upon conviction, including appeals from a conviction in such a case, unless the prosecuting or circuit attorney has waived a jail sentence;

  (3)  Who is charged with a violation of probation when it has been determined by a judge that the appointment of counsel is necessary to protect the person's due process rights under section 559.036;

  (4)  Who has been taken into custody pursuant to section 632.489, including appeals from a determination that the person is a sexually violent predator and petitions for release, notwithstanding any provisions of law to the contrary;

  (5)  For whom the federal constitution or the state constitution requires the appointment of counsel; and

  (6)  Who is charged in a case in which he or she faces a loss or deprivation of liberty, and in which the federal or the state constitution or any law of this state requires the appointment of counsel; however, the director and the defenders shall not be required to provide legal services to persons charged with violations of county or municipal ordinances, or misdemeanor offenses except as provided in this section.

  5.  The director may:

  (1)  Delegate the legal representation of an eligible person to any member of the state bar of Missouri;

  (2)  Designate persons as representatives of the director for the purpose of making indigency determinations and assigning counsel.

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(L. 1982 H.B. 1169, A.L. 1991 S.B. 194, A.L. 1993 S.B. 52, A.L. 1995 S.B. 3, A.L. 1999 H.B. 852, A.L. 2006 H.B. 1698, et al., A.L. 2013 H.B. 215, A.L. 2016 S.B 735)