Administrator's Blog

February 1, 2019, KALAMAZOO, MI— Kalamazoo County Government and Kalamazoo Defender finalized a contract establishing a public defender office to represent indigent adults in criminal cases before the County.

A media conference to showcase this partnership will be held on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 12:30 p.m. This announcement will be held at 201 West Kalamazoo Avenue, in the Kalamazoo County Board Chambers.

“The Board of Commissioners has talked about the need for a public defender office for decades,” stated Kalamazoo County Board Chair Julie Rogers. “This partnership, while long overdue, is a giant step forward for equitable justice in our community.”

Kalamazoo Defender submitted a proposal in response to the County’s Request for Qualifications, released on September 7, 2018. That RFQ was based upon a plan submitted by Kalamazoo County Government to the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC), and approved by the State in May of this year. The plan proposed awarding a local nonprofit a contract to operate a public defender office that would represent indigent adults in the 9th Circuit and 8th District Courts. The County selected and has now contracted with Kalamazoo Defender for that purpose.

Kalamazoo Defender’s Executive Director and co-founder, Josh Hilgart, said, “We took great care to research the nation’s best practices and adapt them to the framework developed by the County. What distinguishes Kalamazoo Defender from many public defender models is our intent to represent each client holistically, addressing issues collateral to the criminal charge that might otherwise undermine a defendant’s effort to escape life on the margins, and, when convicted, avoid recidivism.”