Former Zionsville mayor appointed to Indiana Task Force on Public Defense

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Jeff Papa’s expertise in two areas likely spurred his appointment to the Indiana Task Force on Public Defense.

The task force is a statewide effort, organized to study concerns regarding the state of public defender services in Indiana and make recommendations for improvements.

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Papa

Papa, a former Zionsville mayor, resigned from Zionsville’s Town Council June 30. He also left his job as chief of staff/legal counsel for the Indiana Senate to work in immigration law for Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, which serves as legal counsel for the Town of Zionsville. That potential conflict of interest led Papa to resign from the council.

Papa, who has never practiced criminal law, said the two reasons he was likely selected was the fact he is handling immigration law and his nearly 10 years of work with the Indiana Legislature. He said there is a possibility there may need to be changes in state law or funding through legislation.

Papa said the task force, which met for the first time Sept. 8, will meet regularly over the course of a year.

Following a year of fact-finding, Papa said the group will look for solutions, if any changes are needed, in different areas.

Papa said the state task force was created following a Sixth Amendment Center report from October 2016 that raised concerns about the way defense services are handled in Indiana. Under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, states have a responsibility to make sure that people who can’t afford an attorney get proper representation.

“In Indiana, the public defender system is handled county-by-county, and there is no integrated system on a statewide basis,” Papa said. “(The report) raised some concerns about indigent people who can’t afford an attorney, whether they are getting competent representation on a reliable basis in misdemeanor cases, felony cases, juvenile delinquency and capital cases where there might be a death penalty.”

Papa will serve as chair of the subcommittee on children in need of services/termination of parental rights.

“There might be allegations they are not treating their children correctly, and if those people don’t get properly defended, they could lose custody of their kids,” Papa said.

There also are issues on whether maximum caseloads be imposed.

For more information about the task force, and a list of members, visit in.gov/publicdefender/2333.htm.


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