The U.S. Constitution requires that people who cannot afford an attorney receive one and in Texas, that’s most individuals moving through the criminal legal system. Statewide, appointed counsel represents about 86% of felony defendants and 54% of misdemeanor defendants according to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission. Public defense isn’t a peripheral service; it is the mainstay of how justice is delivered.

That’s why in 2025, Travis County partnered with the Texas A&M University Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) to launch a comprehensive, data‑driven review of its indigent defense system. A research team led by Associate Research Scientists Dr. Georges Naufal and Dr. Emily Naiser, set out to answer a fundamental question in the Travis County Indigent Defense System Evaluation: Is the county’s public defense system providing fair, timely, and consistent representation?

One of the most notable findings reveals that the system has made substantial progress since 2015, but that progress is uneven. Cases are moving more quickly. More cases are being resolved each year. Pretrial jail days are declining. These improvements reflect real policy investments and tangible benefits for residents.

However, the evaluation also reveals that not everyone experiences these gains equally. Outcomes look different depending on which office handles a case. Clients may experience different communication patterns, and attorneys may face vastly different caseload pressures and resource levels.

To understand the challenge, picture something Texans know well: transportation infrastructure. Expanding one highway or constructing a new flyover helps, but if other major corridors remain clogged, the entire network still struggles. Public defense functions the same way; improvements in some offices are encouraging, but bottlenecks elsewhere limit system‑wide performance.

Using a mixed‑methods approach including quantitative court data, document review, interviews, surveys, and focus groups, the evaluation provides one of the clearest pictures yet of Travis County’s defense landscape. Recent investments, such as establishing the Public Defender’s Office in 2020 and expanding managed assigned counsel programs, are yielding positive results. Still, variation between offices shows clear opportunities to strengthen coordination and ensure consistent support for attorneys and clients alike.

The majority of people charged with crimes depend on public defense; improvements here have a ripple effect throughout the entire justice system. By identifying both successes and gaps, this evaluation offers a practical roadmap for building a more fair, dependable, and future‑ready defense system capable of delivering justice for everyone in Travis County.