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ABOUT
THE
LEGAL DIVISION
The
Legal Division handles all non-capital cases for the Ohio Public Defender. This division consists of
two sections: Appeals and Post-Conviction Section;
and Intake, Prison and Parole Section.
John A. Bay
supervises this division.
Appeals and Post-Conviction Section
The Appeals and Post-Conviction Section represents clients who have already finished their trials and direct appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, and were represented by county public defenders or an appointed attorney. Assistant public defenders then review the client’s claim of unlawful imprisonment and determines whether or not the claim has merit.
If the claim does not have merit, the attorney meets with or writes the client to explain why their claim has no merit. If a claim has arguable merit, the attorney uses state-of-the-art research tools, and with the assistance of support staff, litigates the claim in the appropriate courts.
In Ohio, there are over 44,000 adults and 2,500 juveniles in prisons and detention facilities. This Division, while facing a considerable challenge in meeting the needs of these persons requesting assistance, provides the finest legal representation with the available resources. This
Section has
thirteen attorneys.
Intake, Prison and Parole Section
The Intake, Prison and Parole
Section reviews cases forwarded to
the central office claiming unlawful
imprisonment. Attorneys in this
section also provide orientation for
new prisoners, giving them a legal
packet containing sentence and
release information. The packet also
addresses the areas of greatest
concern to the inmates, and gives an
overview of the services provided by
the State Public Defender. This
section also provides representation
at parole revocation hearings to
parolees who are charged with
violating some condition(s) of their
parole.
Jay Macke supervises this
section, which has 9
employees.
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