Right to an attorney
The amendment that provides for this right is the 6th amendment.
Just what does this mean in practice?
It was decided that attorneys are granted even if you can't afford them in the landmark Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright in 1963. The outcome of the Gideon v. Wainwright was that the Supreme Court ruled that the Sixth Amendments guarantee of a right to counsel applies to the states through the fourteenth amendment. The word indigent refers to a person who is unable to afford basic necessities, including legal representation.
Public defenders are attorneys appointed by the court to represent defendants who cannot afford to hire their own legal counsel. Their job is to provide the same competent legal defense as any privately hired attorney to ensure that their clients rights are protected throughout the legal process. They are typically paid by the government through salaries or contracts.
Criticisms
A criticism of money and the criminal justice system is that wealth can influence the outcome of cases.
