On September 4, our very own Beth Stang, chief public defender for District 42, joined Host Hunter Parnell on The Public Defenseless Podcast www.publicdefenseless.com. Together, they brought to light how this rural, multi-county North Carolina public defender district approaches public defense and thrives in an area with rugged terrain and multiple court schedules.
Chief Stang talked about the recent addition of 8 new public defender offices that opened within the last year. She explained why public defense expansion is so important in North Carolina and why, even with bipartisan support for more public defender offices, we will always need a healthy subset of private attorneys (PAC) to do court-appointed work.
The host examined the broad variations in demographics in the state of North Carolina, especially among the three counties in District 42 (Henderson, Transylvania and Polk). They localized the national issue of low hourly rates for PAC and addressed conflicts, offloading cases to PAC and the incentive for PAC there to take a pause instead of coming off the PAC roster altogether.
Stang expressed sincere gratitude for working in a district that has “amazing office chemistry,” provides excellent state benefits, and prioritizes work-life balance. She identified areas where the office could “expand more” to help more clients. And she said how lucky they are that the community saw a need for an adult recovery court and re-entry program in District 42.
To listen to the episode, and hear how Chief Stang talk about challenges, barriers, and successes, use the link provided here.
Link to Podcast: The Challenges of Providing Holistic Defense in Rural North Carolina w/Beth Stang — Public Defenseless Podcast