Attorneys are ethically required to maintain client-lawyer confidentiality and generally cannot disclose confidential information to others, including family members and loved ones. This means even if you contact the public defender, they may not be able to provide you with the information you seek.
Indiana has many public defender offices at the county, state, and federal level. To contact a public defender, you first have to know which public defender office is representing you or your loved one.
State Court – trial, sentencing, direct appeal
If the case is being heard in state court (for example, a county circuit or superior court) and the defendant is awaiting trial, awaiting sentencing, or making a direct appeal, contact the public defender office in the county where the charges were filed.
Find a local public defender office
Not all counties have a public defender office. In that case, contact the court where they have been charged for further information.
State Court – post-conviction relief
If the defendant has already been convicted in state court and is seeking post-conviction relief, contact the State Public Defender (that’s us!).
Federal Court
If the case is heard in federal court, contact the federal community defenders for either the northern or southern district of Indiana.
Northern district public defenders
Southern district public defenders
Other Public Defender Offices
Our office is one of three state organizations that work to improve public defense throughout the state of Indiana. We provide direct representation, mostly post-conviction representation to adults and children in the Department of Correction. Our office collaborates with the Indiana Public Defender Council and the Indiana Public Defender Commission.
The Indiana Public Defender Council provides training and technical assistance to public defenders across the state with members who are public defenders, contractual pauper counsel, and attorneys regularly appointed to represent indigent defendants. The Council is a defense liaison on commissions, organizations, and agencies of all branches of government.
Indiana Public Defender Commission is responsible for setting standards and guidelines for public defense in capital cases, as well as for indigent defense services at the county level. It also makes recommendations concerning the delivery of indigent defense services across Indiana.