Public defenders; authorize new assistants and provide for office space and expenses for those in Hinds County.

HB 1054 would increase the authorized number of full-time assistant public defenders in Hinds County (within Mississippi's Seventh Circuit Court District) from current levels to six. It requires Hinds County to provide these new staff with office space, equipment, supplies, two investigators, two legal secretaries, and operating expenses at a level equal to or exceeding what the county prosecutor's office receives. The bill mandates these resources be funded through specific legislative appropriations, subject to available funding. This directly affects Hinds County public defenders and their ability to handle criminal cases.