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AURORA, Colo. — It turns out being tough on crime is expensive — and at least one Aurora city councilmember wants to examine privatizing the public defender’s office to save taxpayers money as court costs are expected to climb.
Earlier this month, the city council voted to ask for proposals from private attorneys and firms looking to take over the work of the 12-lawyer public defender’s office. Councilmember Dustin Zvonek, who is leading the effort, estimates it could save taxpayers about a million dollars — especially as the city’s crime crackdown leads to more cases in municipal court.
“If we can provide the same level of services and it can save taxpayers a significant amount of money, then it’s crazy for us to not consider doing it,” he said. “We could do good things for the taxpayers of Aurora with those savings.”
But the attorneys in the public defender’s office fear privatizing the public defense will hurt their marginalized clients who need the most help.
“This feels like it’s a war on the poor,” said Chief Public Defender Elizabeth Cadiz. “It’s a war on people I represent who can’t afford their own attorney.”
Her team defends people who can’t afford their own attorney and who are facing jail time on charges including domestic violence and car theft, which now comes with a mandatory minimum 60 days in jail in Aurora, she said.
Under a contract system, she worries defendants won’t get adequate legal assistance. “The level and the quality of the representation will not be the same. It will be less.”
She also argues outsourcing will cost more in the end — with more people in jail and more appeals.
But Zvonek disagrees — and points out other cities across Colorado outsource their municipal public defense already. “Less expensive doesn’t necessarily mean lower services,” he said.
He denies this is an effort to target the public defender’s office for the work it does, but Cadiz believes it is an attack on her, her team and the people she serves.
“It’s about what we do. It’s about the fact that we represent people who are accused of crimes — and often wrongfully accused of crimes,” she said.
If Aurora receives requests that are less expensive than the $2.5 million it currently spends on the public defender’s office, city council must still decide whether to privatize or not.
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