Agency Overview
The Office of the State Public Defender fulfills the constitutional right to counsel for indigent defendants pursuant to the 6th Amendment of the United States Constitution, Art. 1 §10 of the Wyoming Constitution, W.S. §7-6-101, et al. and Rule 44 of the Wyoming Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Agency Background and Structure
The Office of the State Public Defender was created in 1978 in order to meet the federally mandated right to counsel for poor criminal defendants. The Public Defender has 13 trial field offices and one appellate office. The Public Defender provides representation to over 90% of all criminal defendants who are charged with misdemeanors, felonies, and juvenile delinquencies, which carry potential incarceration, including the appeals from those convictions.  The Public Defender handles capital murder cases as well.