PUBLIC DEFENDER

Fayette County > Public Defender


	Jeffrey W. Whiteko Public Defender Fayette County Courthouse 61 East Main Street Uniontown, PA 15401 Telephone: 724-430-1220 Fax: 724-430-4610 Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Closed from 12:00-1:00
Mission Statement The Mission of the Office of the Public Defender is to provide legal representation to defendants by safeguarding fundamental individual rights and to guarantee protection afforded by the United States Constitution. The Public Defender handles ONLY criminal proceedings, which include: Juvenile delinquency proceedings Critical pretrial identification proceedings State habeas corpus proceedings Common Pleas Court Trial, from pretrial motions through post-trial motions Superior Court and Pennsylvania Supreme Court appeals Post conviction proceedings at both the trial and appellate levels Preliminary hearings Criminal extradition proceedings PFA contempt hearings Probation and parole proceedings, including revocation thereof; and Any other situation where representation is constitutionally required Right to Counsel Every person arrested or accused of an offense in Pennsylvania has the right to the assistance of counsel for his defense. The right to counsel includes the right to representation even if the accused is indigent and cannot afford counsel. In a prosecution for a summary offense, which carries a fine but not a jail sentence an indigent defendant is not entitled to court-appointed counsel. This is true even if a (payment of the fine could result in imprisonment). Although entitled to free counsel, an indigent defendant does not have the right to defense counsel of his/her choice.
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