What’s New With PDAP: The State of Public Defense in Pennsylvania

What's New With PDAP: The State of Public Defense in Pennsylvania

February 18, 2026 – PDAP is proud to present The State of Public Defense in Pennsylvania, a new report that identifies areas of improvement and recommendations to strengthen the infrastructure of public defense across Pennsylvania.

As the statewide association representing Pennsylvania’s Public Defenders, PDAP created this report in response to the Pennsylvania Indigent Defense Advisory Committee (IDAC)’s Biennial Report and Data Supplement, which outlines the work the IDAC has done in the past two years to support and improve Pennsylvania indigent defense. The State of Public Defense in Pennsylvania works in conversation with the Report and Data Supplement, providing an analysis and additional context for the extensive data included in both documents. This analysis was made possible by the IDAC and the staff of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), and their dedicated work on the source materials.

The State of Public Defense in Pennsylvania presents key findings from the IDAC report along with recommendations for county Public Defender’s offices, the IDAC, and the Commonwealth to consider as they all work to improve the quality of public defense in PA. It points out that per capita spending on public defense has increased in most counties over the past two years. Thanks to state funding, Public Defender offices have managed to hire more attorneys, as well as core support staff like investigators and social service advocates. However, PDAP’s report also raises concerns about issues that have not improved, from insufficient attorney staffing and retention to low numbers of cases tried and appealed in multiple counties. The report asks for Pennsylvania to provide more indigent defense funding, aiming for pay parity for Public Defender and District Attorney offices.

The State of Public Defense in Pennsylvania is available here, and in the PDAP Publications, Manuals & Reference Sheets page of our password-protected training library.

Our mission is to provide tools, strategies, mutual support, training and information to Public Defender Offices in Pennsylvania; to be the voice of public defense in Pennsylvania; and to promote best practices in the leadership, management, and administration of justice in Pennsylvania.