Defenseless An investigation into how Maine represents its poorest defendants

The Maine Monitor and ProPublica found that more than a quarter of Maine attorneys disciplined in the past decade for serious professional misconduct were hired as lawyers for the poor. Sex crimes and felony convictions were among the most severe infractions overlooked in the only state without public defenders. Defendants paid the price.

A low bar for public defense

by Samantha Hogan with data analysis by Agnel Philip | October 6, 2020

Maine is the only state in the country with no public defender system. A nine-month investigation by The Maine Monitor and ProPublica found that legal services for the poor are left to private attorneys, who face disproportionately high amounts of discipline and an office that doesn’t supervise them.

Latest Articles

Officials propose doubling budget for agency charged with defending the poor

by Samantha Hogan | Oct 25, 2020

Lawyers proposed opening Maine’s first two public defender offices and a substantial pay raise for court-appointed counsel in a $35.4 million budget approved by the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services.

Maine hires lawyers with criminal records to defend poor residents. The governor wants reform.

by Samantha Hogan | Oct 14, 2020

Gov. Janet Mills publicly called for a bipartisan effort to reform Maine’s defense system for poor people accused of crimes in response to an investigation by The Maine Monitor and ProPublica.

Authors & Contributors

Samantha Hogan

Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor’s first full-time reporter, focuses on a range of government accountability projects. A 2019-2020 corps member for Report for America, she is spending this year reporting exclusively on Maine's court system through ProPublica's Local Reporting Network. Samantha previously worked for The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, covering state politics, agriculture, the environment and energy, and interned twice for The Washington Post. She lives with her cat Ida – named for the mother of investigative journalism, Ida Tarbell.

Agnel Philip

Agnel Philip is a data reporter for ProPublica's Local Reporting Network. He previously worked as a data reporter at The Arizona Republic where he investigated tribal casinos, pedestrian safety and consumer issues. He studied journalism and economics at Arizona State University.

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