Why Public Defenders Need Tech to Compete with the Prosecution
March 2025
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1 min read
Prosecutorial funding consistently dwarfs public defense budgets, creating a justice system where resources—and outcomes—are anything but equal.
Nationwide, annual prosecutorial funding exceeds $6 billion, while indigent defense services receive only $2.2 billion annually—a nearly 3:1 disparity, as reported by Wasatch Defense Lawyers.
Public defenders struggle to manage caseloads as they far exceed ethical limits. Audiovisual evidence now appears in nearly 90% of criminal cases, and case-related data has surged by 4,500% in just seven years—but many PD offices still rely on manual processes to review this evidence.
Without the resources to keep up, PDs are fighting an uphill battle against prosecutors who are leveraging AI and other tools to gain an edge.
How prosecutors and law enforcements are using AI
Police departments are using AI to generate police reports, where the software transcribes and summarizes bodycam audio into draft narratives—delivering faster, more consistent documentation to prosecutors.
Similarly, in Florida’s Eighth Judicial Circuit, AI tools help the State Attorney’s Office manage approximately 18,000 cases annually by automating evidence review tasks like object detection, transcription, and case assembly.
Meanwhile in California, the DA’s office is using AI to redact race and ethnicity from police reports, enabling race-blind charging decisions and reducing bias. This enabled the office to meet compliance goals within six months.
Closing the technology gap for public defenders
The good news? Similar tools designed to address the specific needs of public defenders also exist.
One such platform is Reduct, designed specifically for managing audiovisual evidence. Reduct helps public defenders review vast amounts of evidence from body-worn cameras, dashcams, and other sources.
Features like automated transcripts, multicam viewing (which allows users to see multiple angles simultaneously), and fuzzy search significantly reduce the time spent on manual review.
The Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, with over 1,000 staff members, relies on Reduct to efficiently manage their audiovisual evidence, enabling attorneys to focus on building stronger defenses.
Reduct offers public defenders a one-month free trial for the whole team, allowing you to integrate Reduct into your workflow without much commitment.
