The Indigent Representation Task Force has announced a series of statewide listening tours to hear from those interested in sharing their thoughts on indigent defense in Tennessee. The first two stops will be next week in West Tennessee.
The Task Force will convene in Memphis on April 28 and again in Trenton on April 29. The Task Force invites anyone wishing to speak on the topic of indigent defense to submit their intention using the online form available here. Requests for speaking slots must be made by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26.
Here are the details of the upcoming listening tour stops:
Memphis Listening Tour Session
Thursday, April 28, 2016
3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Vasco Smith Building
Shelby County Commission's Chambers, 1st Floor
160 North Main
Memphis, TN 38103
Trenton Listening Tour Session
Friday, April 29, 2016
3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
The Chancery Building
Chancery Courtroom (Chancellor George Ellis)
204 North Court Square
Trenton, TN 38382
Other scheduled listening tours stops are:
Johnson City – May 19 – 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EST
Knoxville – May 20 – 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST
Cleveland – June 9 – 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. CST
Cookeville – June 10 – 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. CST
Nashville – July 29 – 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. CST
Specific details about locations will be available soon.
The task force met recently in Nashville and heard from subject-matter experts, including the Sixth Amendment Center, theTennessee District Public Defenders Conference, the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference. Materials from that meeting can be found here.
The task force was created by the Tennessee Supreme Court in late 2015 to study how indigent representation is administered in the state. The Indigent Representation Task Force has been charged with reviewing practices regarding how attorneys are compensated for work with defendants who are unable to afford legal counsel.More information about and materials from the Task Force can be found here.
