Miller-McClune, a magazine that reports on public policy and academic research, published a study in August that sought to determine if there was a difference in a defendant being represented by a private attorney, or a public defender.
A sampling of almost 3,000 people convicted of felonies in Illinois found that in certain areas, such as convincing a judge to set bail, allowing a defendant to enter a plea agreement, or in handing down a suitable sentence, public defenders and private lawyers are almost equally effective.
Surprisingly, however, the study revealed that it was 2.7 times more likely that a judge would order bail for a white defendant if he was represented by a private attorney. Black defendants with a private attorney doubled their chances of having their original charge downgraded.
Source: ABA Journal August 25, 2010
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