Public defenders and district attorneys are a key part of the legal system here in Wisconsin. For people who cannot pay for an attorney, public defenders provide the necessary role of representing them in court. But for more than a decade, Wisconsin has had issues retaining these attorneys due in large part to their salaries, which are among the lowest in the U.S. Now, the state is facing backlogs as people imprisoned by the state wait longer and longer to have their day in court.
This issue is at the heart of a recent report, called Low Pay For Public Attorneys A Growing Concern As Backlogs Rise, from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Ari Brown, a senior research associate with the forum and lead author of the report, says the average salary for public defenders in Wisconsin is around $75,000 — well below the national average of $115,000. And, that difference of approximately $40,000 contributes to high turnover.
"One out of every five individuals with the office of the state public defender in that trial attorney position turned over in the fiscal year 2022, which is quite significant — very much higher than [the national] average," Brown says. "So in 2018, there were 355 applicants for those positions. In 2022, that was down to 168. So, that's a very, very significant decline. You don't have the number of individuals that are replacing all of that turnover."
A proposal from Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers would improve compensation for public defenders and that would entice more qualified applicants to apply and stay in the position, Brown says. The proposal includes pay increases of around 28.5% and additional support positions, adding about 50 non-attorney staff for general support.
Read the full report here: Low Pay For Public Attorneys A Growing Concern As Backlogs Rise
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