“This Report is the result of a request by the Director of the Texas Office of Capital and Forensic
Writs (OCFW) to the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) to conduct an assessment
of the internal and external work of the Texas Office of Capital and Forensic Writs because of the
serious challenges OCFW faces.”
Recommendations:
- Provide More Financial Resources
- Enhance the Organizational Structure
- Create Independent Oversight Board
- Enhance Communication
- Enhance Education and Development
- Provide funding for OCFW’s forensic writ responsibilities and create statutory authority to decline forensic writ referrals when resources are inadequate
- Provide professional office space with each staff member with their own office in contiguous space
- Continue communication with the Texas Regional Public Defender’s Office to manage the inevitable tension with the different professional responsibilities, and continue communication with other members of the defense community to take advantage of the expertise and perspectives of other criminal defense professionals