Public Defender

The Venango County Office of Public Defender furnishes quality legal counsel to any person who is charged with a qualified criminal offense, and, for lack of funds as determined by office guidelines, is unable to obtain legal counsel.

Eligibility

Eligibility for the Venango County Public Defender services is based on:

• Federal poverty guidelines
• Household assets and responsibilities
• Household income
• The nature of the charges

Qualifying Matters

The Public Defender Act authorizes the Office of the Public Defender to provide legal counsel in the following matters:

• Criminal extradition proceedings
• Critical pretrial identification procedures
• Involuntary commitment under the Mental Health Procedures Act
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court appeals
• Post conviction hearings at the trial and appellate levels
• Preliminary hearings
• Probation and parole violation hearings
• State habeas corpus proceedings
• State trials, including pretrial and post-trial motions
• Superior Court appeals
• Where a person is charged with juvenile delinquency
• Any proceeding where personal liberty is in jeopardy