In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled on Gideon v. Wainwright, holding that under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, states are required to provide counsel to criminal defendants who are unable to afford their own. As a result, public defenders were created, providing low-income defendants with representation in criminal matters. Today, the criminal justice system is flooded with criminal cases, causing public defenders to deal with a heavy caseload and little pay. This research looks at whether public defenders are as effective as court-appointed/contract attorneys and private counsel based on case outcomes, plea bargains, prison time and recidivism rates specifically in states that use county-by-county indigent defense systems.