Brazos County Public Defender’s Office Receives Three State Grants

Image from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission Facebook page.
Image from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission Facebook page.

Brazos County commissioners are told of more state grant money coming to the two year old public defenders office.

A spokesman with the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) says three grants totals more than $2.2 million dollars.

Click below to hear the announcement from chief of staff Ed Bull at the July 8, 2025 county commission meeting.

 

A TIDC spokesman shared the following details with WTAW News:

  • The first award is continued funding for the existing Brazos County Public Defender program for $1,003,349, which covers 60% of the program’s budget for FY26. The program is eligible for continued funding in FY27 at 40% reimbursement and FY28 at 20% reimbursement. The program was created in 2023 with the help of TIDC grants to provide constitutionally required defense representation to persons charged with a crime who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
  • The second award expands the Brazos Public Defender Office to add capacity for juvenile and appeals cases. The grant will fund eight full time positions: 3 full-time juvenile defenders, 1 appellate defender, and 4 support staff, including a dedicated juvenile investigator, two legal assistants, and a caseworker. The amount of this award for FY26 is $987,560, which covers 80% of this expansion’s cost. This expansion is eligible for continued funding in FY27 at 60%, FY28 at 40%, and FY29 at 20%.
  • The third award funds the expansion of the Brazos County Public Defender to include a Mental Health Division. The grant will fund two full-time positions: one dedicated assistant public defender and one mental health case worker. The county is currently overwhelmed with cases that involve mental illness and would benefit from more specialized and integrated representation of clients with mental health challenges to help those clients resolve their cases in a way that includes facilitating access needed treatment and support services and become stable in the community. By advocating and supporting better outcomes for clients with needed supports in the community, the program aims to reduce recidivism and unnecessary incarceration. This award for FY26 is for $250,325, which covers 80% of this expansion’s cost. This expansion will be eligible for continued funding in FY27 at 60%, FY28 at 40%, and FY29 at 20%.

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