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Posted inEquity

Criminal defense on the cheap? Allegheny County inching toward fix for cut-rate court-appointed lawyer system

Criminal defendants in the county who can’t afford private attorneys, known as indigent defendants, often find their fates in the hands of lawyers who get paid based on caps set in 2006. Depending on the attorney appointed to their case, a defendant could face outcomes ranging from dropped charges to a life-altering felony sentence.