Alicia Price’s fiance has been in the Canyon County Jail for more than 121 days. Her fiance is facing felony charges, and he has not had access to a public defender since Oct. 1, when his previous attorney resigned. Price requested her fiance’s name remain anonymous, fearing naming him would impact his case.
On Oct. 1, Idaho transitioned to a new public defense system consolidating 44 county-level state public defender’s offices into one statewide office. The reform was meant to address concerns and lawsuits claiming the previous system was inadequate.
Price said she was unaware that Idaho had just transformed its public defense system, but she noticed issues when her fiance was left without representation, she told the Idaho Capital Sun on Monday.
“They deserve everything that someone who can afford representation should get,” she said. “Many of these men and women are sitting there (in jail), their fate in somebody’s hands, and they just have to sit there because the public defense system is a mess.”