Ingham prosecutor candidate pushing for public defender office

LANSING - The Republican candidate for Ingham County prosecutor announced Thursday that she's advocating for the creation of a public defenders office, rather than the current model of individual attorneys not employed by the county being appointed to cases.

"The Ingham County prosecutor is the chief law enforcement official in our county and it is imperative that this office be a leader for justice in our community, that is why I strongly support a public defenders office in Ingham County," Billie Jo O'Berry said in a news release.

"If elected to serve as the next prosecutor for Ingham County I will continue to advocate for a public defenders office and justice for all of the residents in our community."

Carol Siemon, the Democratic candidate for prosecutor, said she's in favor of reforms to the current indigent defense system and that several models should be researched to find what works best for Ingham County.

"A part of me would like to see a statewide structure because it would provide the support and training for attorneys that you wouldn’t see at a local level," she said.

O'Berry is advocating for a public defenders office to be staffed with 21 attorneys and four paralegals, according to the release, and require comparable funding as the Prosecuting Attorney's Office. The prosecutor's office received about $6 million from the county's 2016 budget.

O'Berry said the cost could be covered through defendant fees and increases in state funding. The county paid appointed attorneys about $2 million each year since 2013, according to O'Berry's release.

She started an online petition to garner support for a public defenders office.

County commissioners would have to approve a plan for a public defenders office. In O'Berry's plan the head of the office would be appointed by the county board.

Contact Matt Mencarini at (517) 267-1347 or mmencarini@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter@MattMencarini.