Regardless of how much money they have, who they are or what they’re charged with, defendants in criminal cases have a legal right to an adequate defense. A local public defender says an “ever-increasing” caseload has begun to compromise that right across the state, including Pike and Floyd counties.
Harolyn Howard, directing attorney for the Department of Public Advocacy’s Pikeville office, said that, in the last year, the six attorneys working the Pikeville office that covers Pike and Floyd counties have seen their caseloads rise from an average of 426.3 cases per attorney to 477.3, a more than 10 percent increase.