From left are Ned Barone, Chautauqua County chief public defender, and Marion Beckerink, president of the Rotary Club of Jamestown.

Phil Cala, retired Jamestown public defender, introduced Nathaniel Barone II, chief public defender for Chautauqua County, to members of the Rotary Club of Jamestown recently.

Barone is a native son; his father was a surgeon in Jamestown and Barone was one of eight children. Barone graduated from Jamestown Community College, then received a bachelor’s degree from the State University at Buffalo and his law degree from the University of Toledo, Ohio. He has three grown children and three dogs. He has received several honors and awards but recently received an award from the State Defenders Association of NYS, the Wilford O’Conner award, which is a testament to his client centered work.

Barone shared personal stories of his family and being raised in this city during the 1960s. His grandfather moved to Jamestown from Buffalo and was the city physician until the 1940s. Then Barone’s father, also a surgeon, came back to Jamestown in the 1960s after serving in Korea. Since there was no Emergency Room in Jamestown, Dr. Barone was expected to take care of emergencies in his practice, which made for 20-hour workdays.

Barone’s first experience in the county was working for attorney Ed Fagen – a 70-hour work week in which Fridays sometimes were mental health days. Barone said he knew he wanted to do criminal defense. He had a strong desire to help people. The criminal justice system has many problems, but public defenders are continually protecting the constitution and communities, he said.

Barone went on to share that a person’s rights can easily be trampled on. Many people in the system have no money, no family, have mental health issues or drug issues. They have a myriad of problems and struggle to just get through the day (which led to a tribute to Van’s Texas Hots, a restaurant under the viaduct where the homeless would hang out).

Barone’s office is modeled after the Bronx Department for indigent providers which requires that every individual must be represented. The office practices a holistic approach to charges; they see each client as an individual. The Chautauqua County Public Defender’s office has certified case workers familiar with suitable for client referrals. The case workers may even personally take a client to find housing, addiction counseling, or mental health services. Treating the whole individual helps prevent recidivism, he said.

New York state has become active in awarding grant money to public defenders’ offices to assist with caseloads. Over the last 12 years the Public Defenders’ budget has skyrocketed. The additional state money has made it possible for the employment of more than 20 full-time attorneys in the local office which is the largest public defender’s office in the southern tier. The local office handles more than 10,000 cases per year, one of busiest in New York state outside of the 5 New York City boroughs. Also, Jamestown City Court is the busiest in all western New York.

The Public Defender’s office has grown so large because of New York stat,e which divides areas of the state into regions. Barone expressed his opinion that eventually the state will run all public defenders’ offices. The local office has very difficult cases; and the state has required that each attorney limit themselves to 250 felony cases.

“It’s all about working together,” Barone said.

Lastly,. Barone made a plea for everyone to consider organ donation by a simple signature on one’s driver’s license or in a living will. Barone is an organ recipient and knows the importance of organ donations.