The Detroit Free Press has joined the fight to fix the constitutional crisis in Michigan’s public defender system with an editorial calling for legislative action. Noting that Michigan currently ranks 44th in the nation in spending on indigent defense, the editorial rightly declares, “Even in tough times, upholding constitutional rights and keeping innocent people out of prison ought to be a priority.”

And the editorial notes that failing to fix the system during tough economic times is pennywise and pound foolish:

An effective public defense system will save money by reducing wrongful-conviction lawsuits, keeping innocent people out of prison and making sure defendants who can’t afford counsel don’t get unjustifiably long sentences.

Every inmate costs taxpayers $35,000 — far too high a price to pay for those who are wrongfully convicted or unreasonably sentenced because of bad lawyering.

Not to mention the cost to society of keeping the real criminals on the street after police close a case thinking they’ve convicted the perpetrator. And the cost in lives ruined by wrongful convictions and the civil suits they may win should they ultimately be found to be innocent.