Data Legend
Column 1: Requested Counsel? The Deason Center reviewed each magistration form and recorded whether the form said that the defendant wanted to apply for appointed counsel.
Column 2: Application at Magistration? Researchers recorded whether each case file included an application-for-counsel form dated on the day of magistration. If there was no application, or if the application post-dated the magistration, researchers coded the case as ‘no’. (Researchers did not find any applications that pre-dated a person’s magistration.)
Column 3: Request Granted? For cases in which there was a day-of-magistration application for appointed counsel, researchers recorded whether officials granted or denied the request. This column does not depict outcomes of applications that post-dated a person’s magistration.
Column 4: Represented at Arraignment? Regardless of when a person applied for appointed counsel, researchers documented whether, on the day of arraignment, court records indicated that the defendant was represented by a lawyer. Researchers further coded whether that lawyer was court-appointed or retained. (Records did not reliably indicate whether the lawyer attended a person’s arraignment, but only whether a lawyer was “enrolled” on the case.)