The state’s Division of Public Defender Services recently launched a new telephone Helpline to connect public defenders with clients during a time when COVID-19 concerns still make in-person contact a tricky proposition.
The phone line, which went live this year and can be accessed at (860) 756-7840, is the latest outreach program made possible by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act passed by Congress last year.
The Public Defenders Cares Act Response, funded by the federal program, allowed public defenders during the summer to meet outside several Connecticut courthouses, including at Norwich, Danielson and New London, with potential clients.