Q: can a public defender charge any type of fee to the defendant
I did not request any council; Essex County, VA chose to assign me a public defender and said I had to have one. I complied being foreign to the county and just wanting to get through the arraignment without any issues. I finished up with no issues or charges to remain on my record after completing 6 months of no further offenses; this was regarding a misdemeanor with the officer handling the case being a state, not county officials. I've witnessed the same case and charge in question to extra fees and charges in other counties with other defendants who were not charged by their defender or better yet had self-represented with the same outcome of a 6 month period. never resulting in any extra fees owed to any type of public worker. I do not have the money to even entertain the idea of paying a public defender and had to scrape together money for court fees as well as still requiring aid from the state. I'm worried I'm being scammed and with the inability to afford or pay ill be jailed
A: You can be charged fees for being represented by court appointed counsel. You should contact the clerk's office to find out how much they are charging you.
A: The costs of court appointed attorneys and public defenders are charged to you by the court as part of your court costs. The Commonwealth of Virginia has predetermined fees based on the number and type of charges you are facing. The Clerk of Court will be able to tell you exactly what the fees are for your specific case.
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