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Ginger educates legislators about SPD’s role

By: WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL STAFF//February 16, 2009//

Ginger educates legislators about SPD’s role

By: WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL STAFF//February 16, 2009//

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The eligibility standards for defendants seeking representation by the Wisconsin State Public Defender have not changed since 1987. The most recent legislative attempt to raise them failed, despite receiving support from committees in the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly.

Not surprisingly, it was a disappointment to Krista L. Ginger, executive assistant/legislative liaison for the SPD.

“But, we’ve had so many budget problems over the years, it has given us a silver lining: the opportunity to educate people about the SPD and our mission. It has opened doors for us,” says Ginger.

Her central role is to provide information about the agency’s issues and budgetary concerns to lawmakers and others in state government. When Ginger first took on the job, a lobbyist/friend told her, “It’s all about relationships.”

So, Ginger set out to create or improve the SPD’s relationships with lawmakers. All of them. Within her first two months, she met with all 132 legislators and their staff, providing information about the SPD and answering their questions.

Ginger recalls she occasionally borrowed the “three-legged stool” analogy from State Public Nicholas L. Chiarkas, when educating about the agency’s essential role within the criminal justice system. The system, like the stool, cannot stand without three strong “legs”: the courts, prosecution and defense.

Most lawmakers already appreciated the importance of indigent defense. Some didn’t — nor did they like the agency, for whatever reason.

“But even if they thought they didn’t like what we do, many people said they never knew what a cost-effective and efficient agency we really were, and still are. They also were not aware of the dedication of our staff, who’re the real heroes,” Ginger says.

Ten years later, Ginger still frequently meets with every lawmaker. Beforehand, she typically communicates with SPD staff within their districts, so she can tell them about what’s happening in the criminal justice system within their own communities. During the meetings, she offers to help with constituent issues. They often accept that offer.

In addition, for the past six months or so, Ginger and Chiarkas have initiated a project to help returning military personnel adjust to their post-deployment lives — principally, to create the Wisconsin Veterans’ Intervention Program (WI-VIP), to include Veterans’ Treatment Courts.

The idea is modeled upon the nation’s first Veterans’ Treatment Court in Buffalo, N.Y., for cases involving veterans charged with nonviolent offenses.

— Jane Pribek

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