[kevinchen]

I don't think technology will help things. Until we change our collective opinions about funding public defenders, better legal software will just cause public defenders' budget/headcounts to be reduced so that they are still taking on the same amount of work.

It's like buying a bigger backpack/purse -- until you change your ideas about what is essential to carry all the time, you'll just fill it up with more stuff.

[aadraple]

We both agree that the decision makers have to increase funding public defenders and that their numbers should not be reduced with the uptake of technology. This dilution would simply bring us back to square one. It’s about augmenting with technology not replacing.

If done correctly we wouldn’t run into the bigger backpack scenario as the underlying reason for bringing in technology to help fix the justice system would mean ideas have changed and they would know what is essential to carry – to use your analogy.