From Representative Roberto R. Alonzo
Dallas County Receives Grant for Teleconferencing Program
AUSTIN TX - Today in Austin the Indigent Defense Task Force awarded $2.5 Million in grants to Texas counties across the state in new funding to improve their individual defense systems. Among the counties receiving grants was Dallas County which was awarded a $256773 grant to be used for videoconferencing purposes.
These funds will allow the county to immediately begin to resolve issues between city jails and Dallas County Jail through the expansion of existing videoconferencing connectivity. Texas State Representative Roberto R. Alonzo is the only Dallas lawmaker who sits on the task force as a member.
As an appointed member of the Texas Judicial Council (TJC) which was made by House Speaker Joe Straus last November Rep. Alonzo automatically serves on this task force which is charged primarily with drafting and implementing programs to represent the indigent poor in the judicial process in Texas.
I am happy to report that the Indigent Defense Task Force awarded Dallas County with this important grant to help the indigent and the poor who often times are unable to financially afford the proper representation through the judicial process. As I told Speaker Straus when he made this appointment I plan to take advantage of every opportunity at my disposal to network with other lawmakers the state leadership and policy leaders not only from Texas but in other states as well and to learn about some of the best ways and strategies to ensure that our states judicial system is second to none especially when it comes to representation of the poor in our judicial system stated Rep. Alonzo.
In addition to Dallas other counties receiving grants were the following:
- Bell County was awarded $397150 to build a web-based core solution that tracks the countys compliance with the Fair Defense Act from time of arrest through payment of Attorney Fee Vouchers.
- Dickens County was awarded $566701 for the Caprock Public Defender Office. Dickens County will host an initiative to improve the regions delivery of indigent defense services by establishing a public defender office that will provide quality representation to defendants who cannot afford to retain counsel.
- Lubbock County was awarded $1570483 to expand the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases currently operational in the 7th and 9th Administrative Judicial Regions to the 4th 5th and 6th Judicial Regions.
- The expanded program will provide direct client representation to 140 counties in West and South Texas.
- Taylor County was awarded $14498 to purchase equipment to develop a multi-county video teleconferencing system with Callahan and Jones Counties.
- Three other programs including the Harris County Public Defender Office and mental health initiatives in Tarrant and Montgomery Counties were granted extensions and will be taken up by the Task Force later this summer.
The new programs are set to begin on October 1 2010. According to the Task Force staff the burden to provide the legal representation to the poor required by Texas law and Constitution has historically been left completely to the counties. Since 2001 through the Task Forces discretionary grant and other programs however counties have been able to receive state funds to help offset those costs. Task Force
