Feb. 10, 2025 – Two years ago, Wisconsin’s criminal justice system was facing a crisis. Salaries for prosecutors and public defenders were not keeping up with the job market, leading to staffing shortages at District Attorney and State Public Defender offices around the state. At the time, vacancy rates for public defenders reached historic highs of over 20 percent, and turnover for assistant district attorneys reached an eye-watering 59 percent over the course of the previous decade.
To address the ongoing staffing issues criminal justice partners worked collaboratively from all over the state, including district attorneys, state prosecutors, public defenders, Director of State Courts and the State Bar of Wisconsin, to implore the legislature to act. State Bar leaders and members engaged in a flood of grassroots and media advocacy to highlight what was at the time a constitutional crisis in the criminal justice system.
Devin Martin, is the grassroots outreach coordinator with the State Bar of Wisconsin. He can be reached by
email, or by phone at (608) 250-6145.
The effort worked. Legislators and Governor Evers included a bipartisan solution in Wisconsin’s 2023-25 biennial state budget to increase starting hourly pay, add pay progression for existing assistant district attorneys and state public defenders, raise the private bar rate and travel reimbursement for public defender appointments, and fund for four additional circuit court branches and cybersecurity initiatives for courts.
While the biggest part of the crisis was averted in 2023, there remains an ongoing challenge of keeping salaries competitive over time to maintain staff levels and retention. The justice coalition’s request in the 2025-27 budget primarily targets addressing those ongoing staffing challenges in these offices. Additional staff is needed to address appropriate caseloads for prosecutors and public defenders. Data from the Wisconsin Department of Administration shows there is still a need for more than a hundred prosecutors statewide. Rural areas of the state also continue to have recruitment and retention issues that need to be addressed. The State Public Defender's office budget request included additional geographic pay add-ons and loan forgiveness to encourage attorneys to practice in rural parts of Wisconsin.
By combining the voices of justice system leaders with those of attorneys in legislative districts across the state, the State Bar played a role in making past funding increases possible. We encourage you to continue to advocate for ongoing investments in funding and staffing for District Attorney and State Public Defender offices by communicating your support to your elected officials. The State Bar is committed to working with all political parties and leaders to address these concerns and advocate for funding.
What You Can Do: State Bar of Wisconsin Advocacy Network
State Bar members are encouraged to send a message to their lawmakers expressing support on legislative topics which positively affect the legal system using the Advocacy Network. Pre-written email messages are editable to suit your own thoughts and opinions and help to demonstrate the breadth of support for policies that prioritize access to justice.
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