Do clients have to pay for the services of the Public Defender?
All adult clients charged with crimes are expected to pay for the services they receive to the extent of their ability to do so. The determination as to whether or not the client has that ability is made by the trial court judge at the conclusion of the case. Currently the cost of providing Public Defender services is about $90.00 an hour. In order to determine the cost of a representation, the Public Defender attorney will disclose to the court how much time she spent on the case. A judge may then order the client to pay all or a part of the cost of the service. In Juvenile Court cases, the family of the client may be assessed for the costs of the Public Defender service using about the same process as described above. Mental Health clients who have sufficient funds in their estate pay for the services of the office in annual accountings approved by the court. Penal Code section 987.8 states: In any case in which a defendant is provided an attorney, either a Public Defender or Court-a
