The project goals are to reduce student loan debt as a factor in deterring qualified prosecutors and public defenders from seeking alternative employment and/or continuing their important service to…

The project goals are to reduce student loan debt as a factor in deterring qualified prosecutors and public defenders from seeking alternative employment and/or continuing their important service to wisconsin communities; to do so in an efficient manner that gives priority to eligible attorneys who have the least ability to repay; to include a range of geographic representatives. Currently within wisconsin there are 381 full-time state public defenders, 456 full-time state prosecutors and 13 federal public defenders. In 2010, there were 348.2 state public defenders and 422.65 district attorneys. Wisconsins strategy is to: partner with the wisconsin public defenders and the wisconsin state prosecutors office to consult on policy, and perform outreach to potential applicants, and assist in the selection of award recipients; partner with the wisconsin public defenders and the wisconsin state prosecutors office to develop a fair allocation methods and appropriate eligibility criteria to prioritize those with the least ability to repay, maintain geographic representation, and promote retention of qualified public defenders and prosecutors; minimize administrative costs to maximize award; and collect and provide accurate data that measures performance of the program.