Wisconsin John R. Justice Grant FY 23

The project goals are to reduce student loan debt as a factor in deterring qualified prosecutors and public defenders from seeking alternative employment and/or continuing their important service to Wisconsin communities; to do so in an efficient manner that gives priority to eligible attorneys who have the least ability to repay; to include a range of geographic representatives. Currently within Wisconsin there are 381 full-time State Public Defenders, 456 full-time State Prosecutors and 13 Federal Public Defenders.  In 2010, there were 348.2 State Public Defenders and 422.65 District Attorneys.

Wisconsin’s Strategy is to: partner with the Wisconsin Public Defenders and the Wisconsin State Prosecutors Office to consult on policy, and perform outreach to potential applicants, and assist in the selection of award recipients; partner with the Wisconsin Public Defenders and the Wisconsin State Prosecutors Office to develop a fair allocation methods and appropriate eligibility criteria to prioritize those with the least ability to repay, maintain geographic representation, and promote retention of qualified public defenders and prosecutors; minimize administrative costs to maximize award; and collect and provide accurate data that measures performance of the program.