Senator Brent Steele

The Indiana Supreme Court announced the appointment of Senator Brent Steele to the Public Defender Commission.  David Long, Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore, appointed Steele to the Commission in March 2009. 

Senator Brent Steele was appointed to replace Senator Joe Zakas, who served on the Commission since 2004.  Senator Steele represents District 44, which includes the counties of Jackson, Lawrence, Monroe, Orange and Washington.  “One of the cornerstones of American democracy is the right of the accused to defense in court,” Senator Steele said. “The Indiana Public Defender Commission is a crucial component of the criminal justice system in our state by ensuring indigent defense in capital cases complies with state standards and that counties are adequately reimbursed for indigent defense expenses. I am honored to have been appointed to this important commission.”

In addition to being appointed a member of the Public Defender Commission, Senator Steele is the chairman for the Senate’s Corrections, Criminal & Civil Matters Committee.  He also serves on the Senate’s Judiciary, Ethics and Insurance & Financial Institutions committees.  Senator Steele resides in Bedford, Indiana where he practices law at Steele & Steele, LLC.

The Commission was formed to distribute money from the public defense fund.  The fund was created by the legislature to reimburse counties for the costs associated with indigent defense legal representation in capital and non-capital cases.  The fund is designed to improve the delivery of legal representation by requiring compliance with the Indiana Public Defender Commission Standards. State law authorizes counties to receive reimbursements of 50% of expenditures for indigent defense services in capital cases and up to 40% in non-capital cases.  The United States and Indiana Constitutions mandate these services.

All 92 counties are eligible for reimbursements of indigent defense costs in capital cases, if they comply with Indiana Supreme Court Criminal Rule 24. The Commission gives priority to requests for reimbursement of defense expenses in death penalty cases.  From 1990 to date, Indiana counties have received in excess of $9 million from the Public Defense Fund to assist counties with their capital case defense costs.

Currently, 50 Indiana counties qualify for reimbursement from the Public Defense Fund for non-capital public defense expenses.  These counties comprise over 65% of Indiana's population.  The Indiana Public Defender Commission meets four times during each fiscal year to audit and approve claims by the counties. For fiscal year 2008-2009, the Indiana legislature provided $15.25 million to reimburse counties for indigent defense services in capital and non-capital cases.  At the close of the fiscal year, the Commission will have distributed $15.07 million to the counties.

The Commission is comprised of 11 members: 3 are appointed by the Governor; 3 are appointed by the Chief Justice; 1 member is appointed by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute; 2 are members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House; and 2 are members of the Senate appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate.  The Division of State Court Administration provides administrative support and services for the Public Defender Commission.

The Supreme Court recently announced the appointments of State Representative Vernon G. Smith and State Representative Greg Steuerwald who were appointed to the Commission by Indiana House Speaker Patrick Bauer.   More information on the Commission can be found by going to http://courts.in.gov/pdc.