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Welcome to our Website!
The Washtenaw County Office of Public
Defender was established in 1971 by our Board of
Commissioners with the aid of a federal grant requiring that
the department be an integral part of the executive branch
of county government and independent of the judiciary. Since
that time, the Office has become a full and equal partner in
the public safety and justice system within the county and
is represented in all relevant programming, policy or
procedural committees. It handles all criminal, juvenile and
special civil law appointments and provides a wide array of
services related to probation violations, line-ups, personal
protection orders, extraditions, Friend of the Court
matters, bond reduction hearings, diversions and response to
legal questions from the public.
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Lloyd E. Powell
Washtenaw County Public
Defender
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The Office partners with businesses, non-profits,
schools, churches and other units of government to prevent crime
and enhance public safety by rendering top quality legal
representation as needed to enforce constitutionally mandated
public defense competently, effectively, efficiently, ethically
and vigorously in all criminal, juvenile and civil law
appointments in order to achieve justice where rights are
protected, due process is received fairly and equally,
rehabilitation is effective, recidivism is reduced and re-entry
into society as law-abiding and productive residents is
realized.
The outcome sought for everyone is to have a safe and just
society where in addition to the prevention of racial profiling,
domestic violence and the neglect or abuse of children,
there are also viable resources available to ensure
that those in need receive appropriate mental health treatment,
diversion from incarceration without any compromise to safety,
locally based substance abuse treatment and services,
educational and training opportunities for gainful employment,
and adequate housing within a community that has put an end to
homelessness.
Our department is also comprised of dedicated career
attorneys who operate as well trained, experienced and
coordinated teams with full parity in salaries with prosecutors
and, most importantly, one that meets all of the Principles of a
Public Defense Delivery System established or adopted by the
American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the
Michigan Campaign for Justice and the Michigan Public Defense
Task Force. At any given time, the Office is further augmented
with many select volunteer attorneys plus an average of
60-80 volunteer select student lawyers and investigators from
law schools and universities throughout the country.
In addition to reducing the cost of doing business
while providing top quality service, our Office forever seeks to
improve the justice system whereby the double tragedy never
occurs in our jurisdiction of having an innocent person
convicted and punished while the guilty person escapes penalty
altogether and remains free to continue to abuse, harm and
endanger the community.
Thanks again for the visit to our website and please
view the remainder of it to check out our staff pictures and
learn more about us. And, finally, do feel free to contact us
whenever you need help because we are here to serve
you.
Lloyd E. Powell
County Public Defender
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Articles about the Office of Public Defender
Article: Public Defender Impact on
Exceptionally Low Jail and Prison Commitments
Symposium Issue:
Therapeutic Jurisprudence in Clinical Legal Education and Legal
Skills Training
Article: Public Defenders Get
Better Marks on Salary
Article:
Preliminary Examination Process Point-Counterpoint
Article: The Death
Penalty
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The above
picture on the left shows veteran County Public Defender Lloyd E.
Powell in the center after receiving the State Bar of Michigan's
"Frank J. Kelley Distinguished Public Service Award" from outgoing
State Bar of Michigan (SBM) President Edward Pappas (on the left)
and incoming President Charles Toy (on the right) at the 2009 SBM
Annual Meeting at the Awards Banquet held in the Grand Ballroom of
the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dearborn, Michigan on Wednesday,
September 16, 2009. Janet K, Welch, Executive Director of SBM had
previously notified Public Defender Powell that at its June meeting,
the State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners approved the
recommendation of the Awards Committee to select him and the veteran
Prosecutor for Alpena County, Dennis P. Grenkowicz, to receive this
prestigious award.
The Frank J. Kelley
Distinguished Public Service Award recognizes extraordinary governmental service by a
member of the State Bar of Michigan. Criteria for the award
are:
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A present or former member of the State Bar of Michigan
- Service in public
office (elected or appointed official) in a way that strengthens the
American system of justice under the law
- Demonstration of the highest standards of integrity,
fairness, leadership, excellence, dedication to principle, and
dedication to the ideals of democracy
- Has made a significant lasting contribution to the
nation, the state, or the community in which the public servant
lives or serves
Previous Winners:
1998, Frank J. Kelley
1999, Gerald R. Ford
2000, Dorothy Comstock Riley
2001, John D. O'Hair
2002, Sen. Dan L. DeGrow; Saul A. Green
2003, Robert P. Griffin
2004, no award
2005, Rep. John D. Dingell
2006, Philip A. Balkema; Hon. Douglas W. Hillman
2007, Hon. Donald Shelton; Kym L. Worthy
2008, Thomas L. Casey; Bruce A. Timmons
2009, Dennis P.Grenkowicz; Lloyd E. Powell
View the nomination
letter
The next is a group picture of County Public Defender Lloyd E.
Powell with some staff, friends and
family celebrating after the Award ceremony.
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