Digital Evidence Readiness for Public Defender Offices

Executive Summary 

Public defender offices are under unprecedented strain, managing soaring caseloads while trying to keep up with the rising volume and complexity of digital evidence. With some defenders handling over 300 felony cases annually, which is double the nationally recommended limit, the risk of inadequate legal defense and wrongful convictions continues to grow.  

This checklist helps public defenders assess their digital evidence readiness, identify operational gaps, and adopt tools that ease administrative burdens and accelerate evidence review. By shifting to smarter and more streamlined workflows, public defenders can dedicate more time to building strong defenses and securing justice for their clients.  

By checking off each item, this checklist helps public defender offices strengthen their digital evidence operations to meet today’s demands by addressing the following points:

• What systems are needed to centralize and securely manage growing volumes of digital evidence.  
• How can AI powered tools help defenders save time on transcription, redaction, tagging, and case preparation.  
• What practices ensure chain of custody, tamper detection, and admissibility of digital evidence in court.