Kudos to Robert Gehrke for his spot-on column, “System is failing poor people accused of crime.” He correctly points out the inequities in the Utah legal system’s criminal defense of the poor.
The quality of public defender programs in Utah varies widely from county to county because they frequently are so underfunded. If you doubt that, compare the budgets of county attorney's offices with those of the public defender.
Caseloads for attorneys representing the poor far exceed those from the prosecutor's office and it is highly unusual for a public defenders office to have sufficient funds to hire an investigator.
Gehrke's column fails to address the other major hurdle facing the poor in our justice system and that is the cash bail system. Unfortunately, our antiquated bail system leaves far too many impoverished defendants stuck in jail prior to their case being heard in court, simply because they are unable to raise the necessary cash to post bail.
I am not suggesting that every person arrested should be released prior to trial, but I am saying that nobody should have to remain in jail pending trial simply because they are poor.
Michael Norman, Cottonwood Heights