Public Defender's Office

Public Defender's Office
Bradford Courthouse
301 Main St.
Towanda, PA 18848
Phone: 570-265-1713

The Bradford County Public Defender's Office is responsible for representing indigent individuals who are charged with criminal offenses at all stages of court proceedings. Public defenders represent individuals all of the District Justice offices in Bradford County, at the Court of Common Pleas in Towanda, and even before the Superior and Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania. They also represent juveniles alleged to have committed delinquent acts.

The county's responsibility to provide public defenders arises from the landmark United States Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright, which determines that the right to counsel found in the Bill of Rights also extended to those who could not afford to hire counsel.

Duties:

Outlined below are the duties of the Public Defender's Office as delineated by the Public Defender Act, 16 PS 9960 et. sq.:

1. Juvenile delinquency proceedings;
2. Critical pretrial identification procedures;
3. State habeas corpus proceedings;
4. Stage trial, from pre-trial motions through post-trial motions;
5. Superior and Pennsylvania Supreme Court appeals;
6. Postconviction proceedings at both the trial and appellate levels;
7. Preliminary hearings;
8. Criminal extradition proceedings;
9. Probation and parole proceedings, including revocation thereof;
10. Any other situation where representation is constitutionally required.

The public defender, when appointed by the court of common pleas, must represent persons subject to commitment for psychiatric or mental health reasons. The court may also appoint other attorneys to represent indigent persons in juvenile or criminal proceedings, and may order compensation for this service.