2023 proposed governor budget sees improvements to South Dakota’s justice system
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Having a criminal justice system that upholds the rights of the people it serves is crucial to maintaining the American way of life.
In the past, South Dakota hasn’t always guaranteed this right for its people, but with the 2023 proposed governors’ budget, that could soon be changed if approved by the state’s legislature.
On Tuesday, during Governor Kristi Noem’s budget address, she recommended a plan that would create a statewide appellate defender office that would be overseen by a statewide indigent defense commission primarily handling criminal appeals, child abuse, neglect appeals, and habeas appeals. By doing so, the state is trying to create an office that would be more suited to those cases and give people willing and better-qualified attorneys to handle those appeal cases.
“If there were a statewide public defender’s office that would handle those appellate matters, it would essentially balance that out,” explained Rensch Law trial lawyer Tim Rensch. “So that the lawyers who would be handling those appeals would be much more likely special assistance attorney generals who do nothing but handle those appeals, and you would develop specialists in those areas, and that would be a good thing.”
If approved it’s projected that the counties would benefit from less spending.
“In the long run, you save money because when people have effective assistance at the council, they can possibly be acquitted, the charges can be lessened somehow, or when they do ultimately get convicted of something before a jury, it’s been done right, so there aren’t tens of thousands and millions of dollars spent in post-conviction relief,” explained Rensch.
When it comes to the statewide appellate defender office, they would also provide training and mentorship to defense attorneys without adding cost to the budget. Noem is looking to invest $1.4 million of ongoing funding into this program.
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