Louisiana

Indigent Defense Assistance Board

Minutes of the Board Meeting

May 13, 1999

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Jones, Walker Law Firm

Members Present: Risley C. Triche, Chair; Thomas A. Casey; Michelle Ghetti; Addison K. Goff; IV; and Donald T.W. Phelps.

Ex Officio Members Present: James E. Boren, Anthony Champagne and Henry Walker.

Staff Present: Jelpi P. Picou, Jr. and Marsha A. Oliver

Call to Order and Opening Remarks. The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. by the Chair, who welcomed members to the meeting of the Indigent Defense Assistance Board; a roll call demonstrated that a quorum was present.

Budget and Program Review. Staff gave a year-to-date update of the LIDAB budget and progress of each administered program, with the conclusion that the LIDAB is, at the end of this fiscal year, out of money and, thus, unable to fund any emergency or new cases this year.

Legislative Update. Staff reported that there were no bills under consideration that would have an impact upon the delivery of services to indigent persons accused of crimes. Mr. Boren said that LACDL was monitoring the legislature daily.

Juvenile Settlement Proposal. Discussion of this item was moved to a later meeting when David J. Utter, director of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, could present a synopsis of the settlement terms and what the settlement will mean to Louisiana juveniles.

Life Jury Verdict Proposal. Staff presented a proposal for a $75,000 + costs technical assistance grant to be awarded in the next fiscal year to allow a graduate student to collect and analyze data from capital jurors to discover factors that made them choose a life sentence over death. Staff recommended the grant request be tabled or denied. Much discussion ensued. Mr. Phelps opposed the proposal because the methods of collection and evaluation were flawed to such an extent as to make the conclusions unusable. By unanimous vote, the board voted not to fund the study.

Other Business. No other business was discussed.

Adjournment. There being no additional business brought to the attention of the Board, the Chair entertained a motion to adjourn, which was seconded and passed without objection.