Does OIDS do legal work besides criminal cases?
No. OIDS is a creature of statute and can only be appointed to the specific criminal cases that it is authorized to accept under the Indigent Defense Act. OIDS cannot accept or be appointed to civil cases. Matters pertaining to contempt of court (civil), child support, termination of parental rights, juvenile custody determinations, and the like, are civil matters. You may wish to check with Legal Aid in your region to determine if legal services are available to you in your civil matter. In addition, OIDS is specifically prohibited from representing anyone in civil rights or other litigation related to prison conditions. OIDS can only represent a defendant in the defense of criminal charges brought by the State of Oklahoma.
