Our story begins with the Georgia Indigent Defense Act of 2003, which established the Georgia Public Defender Council.
Tasked with overseeing Georgia’s indigent defense system for persons accused of crimes, our mission is to ensure that each client represented by a circuit public defender receives a legal defense that is:
Zealous, effective, timely, and ethicalConsistent with the guarantees of the Constitution of the State of Georgia and the Constitution of the United States
Conducted such that the criminal justice system operates effectively to achieve justiceIn essence, our job is to ensure that low-income Georgians receive the best possible representation in criminal courts.
The GPDC is part of the executive branch of the state government of Georgia. We operate without political considerations or the influence of private interests. As such, we can focus on our mission to provide effective indigent defense without any outside pressures or constraints.
We don’t answer to the DA. We don’t answer to the police. We only answer to our clients.
In an environment where the criminal justice system seems designed only to convict and punish, our attorneys provide the counsel, mercy, and representation that accused persons so desperately need.
We know that our clients’ lives are greater than the crimes they’ve been accused of. That’s why we do the work we do.
As an independent agency, we can advocate for clients without any pressure from outside parties. We can be the lawyers they deserve.
In an effort to reconnect families and reduce recidivism, the GPDC started the Ladders leadership development initiative.
Ladders provides transformational education and wraparound services for certain individuals with prior justice system involvement. Participants receive training and certification for an occupational skill at a partnering technical college. They also receive support in the areas of career readiness coaching, mentoring, and job shadowing.
Through targeted case management support, the Ladders program also improves stability in other areas of need, such as family, housing and health.