The Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD) will award special grant funds to three cities to contribute towards the cost of participation in a pilot program, Quality Indigent Defense (QID). The program will evaluate the quality of contracted indigent defense services in cities. Only cities that contract with private attorneys or law firms for public defense services are eligible for a QID grant.
The total cost for a QID assessment in most cities is expected to range from $7,000 - $15,000, depending on the scope of the assessment and the size of the jurisdiction. OPD has a total of $30,000 to divide among three cities to offset most or all of the cost of a QID Assessment.
Applications are due by October 12. For more information or to apply, look under the Featured News section in the middle of OPD’s website.