Poverty is a Crime Punishable by Jail in Texas

Being too poor to challenge the State of Texas or any State in the United States has become an epidemic level public problem. The scales of Justice have to be evenly weighted in order for Justice to be served. There is but one test needed to prove this as a fact. Does the average poor person have the money to hire an attorney that is as good as the one the State hired to prosecute them?

The answer is an obvious No. The State’s solution to this is to appoint an attorney for the indigent that will “represent” this person. In Texas attorneys get about $800 per felony case as a court appointed representative.

According to an American Bar Association review of the Indigent defense system for Texas, it was one of the lower paying states for defense representation with NO system in place to compare what the counties are paying.

Now compare that to the average salary of the District Attorney in Texas which is around $120,000 for those counties reporting. The Prosecution, Law Enforcement, and Jail Staff all get paid to prove that you are guilty until proven innocent in the current system of draining the finances of the opposition of the State.