Topic: The use of public defenders should be mandatory
A centralized system of criminal defense would mean that all people would have access to the same standard of legal counsel, meaning that wealth and power can't be used to avoid justice.
a defendant has a right to defend himself
a lawyer would provide better representation for his client than a public defender who gets paid a lot less
a person accused of a crime should have the right to pick their own defense, whether that is to pick the defender they think will be most capable or that they find makes them more comfortable.
a person being accused of a crime deserves the right to search out anyone they desire to defend them and shouldn't be forced to receive the same, possibly low level of talent as everyone else.
a person should be free to choose whatever lawyer they want & not be obligated to choose a public defender
a public defender should be mandatory for anyone.  representation is vital for someone accused of a crime.
a public defender shouldn't be mandatory because we don't have enough money to provide lawyers for everyone. some crimes are simply cut and dry and there is no need for the criminal to be defended
all accused people should have the same level of representation so that the rich do not have an advantage
all american citizens have the right to a public defense if they can not afford it
all citizens have the right to have an impartial defense and a fair trial.
all people should have equal access to a lawyer.  being a rich and able to afford a better lawyer gives some people a better chance at winning.  if all have the same pool of lawyers it is equal.
Allowing people who can afford their own lawyers to use them instead of public defenders opens up public defenders to those who actually need them.
anyone being charged with a crime should have an independent person helping him or her. sometimes it helps having a second opinion.
appointing a defendant a public defender will ensure that he gets a fair trial
because the state pays for public defenders they have a smaller budget, meaning that valuable resources are not available which could compromise cases
being able to choose your own attorney to help determine your fate is vitally important if you have the means to do so.
being paid government rather than private wage, they might not be committed enough to the case
big time money hungry lawyers would have a tough time making a killing.
by making it mandatory, the system would, effectively, be saying that everyone is equal and that representation quality is not based on ability to pay
by making the use of public defenders mandatory you are giving everyone the same amount of fairness rather than the rich being able to afford better lawyers than the poor.
citizens who can not afford a defense must have the right to receive one from our government
criminals should always have be defended in court by public defenders
defendants should not be forced to use a public defender if they choose not to because it is undemocratic to remove individual choice.