No. Although many members are employed by public defender offices, there are numerous members who are private investigators, paralegals and mitigation specialists.
No. Public Defender investigators, private investigators, mitigation specialists, etc. from South Carolina and adjoining states are all encouraged to join and attend our conferences and seminars.
Any licensed private investigator in South Carolina who works on an indigent defense cases must first be approved by the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense (SCCID). Information on how to be approved by SCCID can be found here.
No, although we strongly encourage experienced private investigators to be approved by SCCID and work on indigent defense cases with public defenders.
No, the SC Public Defender Investigators Association is a registered 509(a)(2) nonprofit public charity. Our tax ID is 36-4993436.
Market yourself and your company to the county public defenders! Some public defender offices rely on contract private investigators while others utilize criminal defense investigators who are on staff. Situations routinely arise where staff investigators are conflicted on cases and a private investigator has to be contracted. To find out who the public defenders are in your area, visit here.