Title 18, Health, Safety, Housing, Human Rights, and Public Defender

The public defender and assistant public defenders shall devote all of their time to the duties of their respective offices and may not engage in the practice of law except in their official capacities in the agency.

The public defender may assign the functions vested in the public defender or in the agency to subordinate attorneys and employees.

The public defender may appoint and remove assistant public defenders, clerks, investigators, stenographers, and other employees the public defender considers necessary to enable the public defender to carry out the responsibilities of the public defender, subject to existing app…

(a) An indigent person who is under formal charge of having committed a serious crime and the crime has been the subject of an initial appearance or subsequent proceeding, or is being detained under a conviction of a serious crime, or is on probation or parole, or is entitled to …

(a) If a person having a right to representation under AS 18.85.100 is not represented by an attorney, the court shall, at the time of the person's appearance before the court, clearly inform the person of the right of an indigent person to be represented by an attorney at public…

(a) The determination of a person's indigency shall be made by the court in which an action against the person is pending. The determination shall be made by the court and shall set out the basis for the finding that the person is indigent. (b) In determining whether a person is …

When the public interest requires, and a person is entitled to representation by the agency under this chapter, the public defender may contract with one or more private attorneys to assist the public defender. Except as provided in AS 18.85.155, the public defender shall pay for…

A person who has been appropriately informed under AS 18.85.100 may waive in writing, or by other record, any right provided by this chapter if the court concerned, at the time of or after waiver, finds of record that the person has acted with full awareness of the person's right…

(a) A person who has received assistance under this chapter shall pay the state for the assistance if the person was not entitled to it at the time indigency was determined. (b) The attorney general may bring an action on behalf of the state to recover payment from a person descr…

(a) When a municipality prosecutes a person who has been determined by the court to be indigent under AS 18.85.120 for a violation of a municipal ordinance that is a serious crime, the municipality shall pay for the services of the attorney appointed by the court to defend the in…

(a) The public defender shall keep appropriate records respecting each needy person represented by the agency under this chapter. (b) [Repealed, § 19 ch 6 SLA 1998.]

In this chapter, (1) “agency” means the public defender agency created by AS 18.85.010; (2) “detain” means to have in custody or otherwise deprive of freedom of action; (3) “expenses,” when used with reference to representation under this chapter, includes an expense of investiga…

This chapter may be cited as the Public Defender Act.

[Repealed or reserved.]

(a) A law enforcement agency, emergency service provider, and the department may establish a peer support counseling program to provide emotional and moral support and peer support counseling to peace officers and emergency service personnel who have experienced emotionally traum…

(a) A written or oral communication made by a participant or peer support counselor during a peer support counseling session or made between peer support counselors, supervisors, or staff members relating to a peer support counseling session is confidential and may not be disclos…

In AS 18.95.020 — 18.95.040, (1) “department” means the Department of Corrections; (2) “emergency service personnel” means a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, a first responder in an emergency situation, or an emergency service dispatcher; (3) “emergency service provi…