Georgia Capital Defender Resigns

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Georgia's top Capital Defender has resigned. Chris Adams, Director of the state's Capital Defender's Office, says budget cuts are making it impossible to defend people who face the death penalty.

Adams sent his letter of resignation on Thursday to the state's Public Defenders Standards Council. The council has granted less than half of what Adams had asked for in his 2008 budget request. He believes the office needs 10 million dollars.

ADAMS: This year we were cut to $4.3 million to pay for 80 death penalty defenses across the state, and that's somewhere between 50% to a third of what we need to do the job, and I, in good conscience, didn't feel like I could stay in the office.

Officials from the Public Defenders Standards Council did not respond to interview requests by airtime.

Adams launched the state's capital defenders office four years ago, to provide more effective and cost-efficient defense for people who are on trial for their lives. Of the 35 cases the office has completed, none has resulted in a death sentence. But Adams says with budget cuts and an ever-growing caseload, it will be tough to maintain the perfect record.