SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Over the last five years, the number of case appointments in the Minnehaha County Public Defender's Office has risen 38% while expenses have gone up by 24%.
Traci Smith delivered the Public Defender's annual report to the county commission yesterday.
Smith says each misdemeanor attorney is carrying an average of 550 cases, or 37% above the national recommended standard. She says felony attorney's caseloads are 47% above national recommended standards.
She say says controlled substance cases increased by 21% last year, aggravated assault cases were down 5%, but burglary and robbery cases both increased by 5%.
Funding for the Public Defender's Office accounts for 9% of the county's expense for public safety. Smith says the average cost per case in the office is $350. When the case is sent to a private attorney, the average cost is $1,537.
Public Defenders handled 283 juvenile cases in 2016 a 10% increase from a year earlier. Involuntary committals, for drugs or mental issues, totaled 147 last year which is a 259% increase over 2015.
Smith says there was a 3% drop in driving under the influence cases, a 3% increase in simple assault cases and 5% increase in marijuana charges.