A state report shows the almost 700 attorneys defending the poor averaged 680 cases last year, nearly double the recommended limit, even though their ranks and funding increased from the year before.
The Office of Indigent Legal Services says Wednesday the caseload average in the 57 counties outside New York City declined slightly from 719 the year before.
Meanwhile, the number of attorneys rose by almost 50 and their funding rose to $175 million, an increase of about $9 million.
Lawyers for poor defendants in New York are provided by a combination of legal aid societies and assigned counsel programs.
The report cites an annual limit for new cases of 367 and estimates another $105 million was needed last year to reach that.
New York City has reduced its caseloads.
© 2014 AP
