The Office of the Defender General provides legal representation to indigents, children subject to juvenile proceedings, children under State custody, persons under custody of the Commissioner of Corrections, and needy persons involved in extradition or parole proceedings. The primary challenge facing the office continues to be the lack of sufficient resources to keep pace with caseload demands. Recent trends in staffing and caseload patterns that have affected the Office include an escalating caseload, an increase in the number of homicide cases handled by public defenders, an increase in the reporting and prosecution of child abuse cases, and an increase in the costs of criminal litigation. This report provides a brief history of the Office, which was created by the State legislature in 1972. The Office is divided into public defense (appellate defender, prisoners' rights office, and juvenile defender) and assigned counsel. While the demand for defense services decreased slightly during the reporting period, the reduction was among the least serious and demanding cases; the more complex and time- consuming cases continued to increase. 5 appendixes