State v. Hanger

Dismissal with prejudice of this criminal prosecution was, in my view, inappropriate and a clear abuse of judicial discretion. It was precipitated by the Board of Supervisors’ refusal, in violation of A.R.S. § 13-4013, to allocate additional funds to meet the attorneys’ fees and costs of these indigent criminal defendants, albeit the court found funds were available. I believe the court abdicated its judicial responsibility and tossed the reins of the administration of criminal justice to the Board of Supervisors.

Dismissal of a criminal prosecution is an extreme measure which should not be…