An Entitlement that Can't Be Fulfilled

You're entitled to a lawyer. If one is not available you will be set free. Multnomah County public defender shortage leads to criminal cases dropped for alleged child beater, robbers, DUII drivers - oregonlive

The list of Multnomah County criminal cases dismissed this year because no public defenders were available to represent the accused is eye-opening, leaving victims awaiting justice that may never come:

A visibly swollen and bruised 11-year-old girl who told Fairview police she didn’t want to go home because her mother kept beating her, including that night with a punch to the forehead.

That is only the first of many cases listed in the article.

So you are entitled to a lawyer, but there are no lawyers.

You are entitled to a lot of things in 21st Century America, all of which have to be provided by other people. But what happens when there is no one who can provide those things? What happens if there are no police to provide you with the safety you feel is your right? What happens when there are not enough doctors or nurses to provide you the medical care you are entitled to? What happens when there are not enough housing units to provide you with free housing?

As is the case in so many staffing problems around government, the problem seems to be one of pay. Public defenders earn a whole lot less than prosecuting attorneys. Color me shocked, that a high-stress job, which is seriously underpaid and over-worked is having trouble with staffing. How can that be?

In the meantime a lot of crime victims in Oregon are going without justice.

The consequences are only now coming into full public view after Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt took the bold step two weeks ago of publicizing the complete list, pledging to update it each week until the situation is resolved. As of Friday, more than 220 defendants accused of felonies and 75 of misdemeanors have seen their cases dismissed since February because there weren’t enough public defenders.

What a mess.