After serving as the Public Defender of Indiana for nearly 30 years, Susan K. Carpenter retired in May. The Indiana Supreme Court appointed Ms. Carpenter to the position in 1981. When announcing Carpenter’s retirement, Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard praised her three-decade career and said, “As chief advocate for the rights of indigent defendants, Susan Carpenter has made Indiana a place of greater justice. She has been both zealous and elegant in one of the toughest jobs in government, and she makes me proud to be a lawyer.”
AsPublic Defender, Carpenter served as counsel to indigent prison inmates in challenges to convictions and sentences. The Public Defender of Indiana is appointed by the Supreme Court and is a state-funded agency. Calling it an “honor and privilege,” to serve with a dedicated staff, Carpenter’s legacy includes playing a central role in what is known as the “Juvenile Jail Removal Project,” which helped take thousands of children out of adult jails.
In the 1980’s Indiana housed thousands of juvenile offenders and children in need of services in adult facilities. Carpenter believed that the practice was in violation of state and federal laws and asked Supreme Court permission to represent the children detained in the adult system. On March 23, 1989 the Indiana Supreme Court handed down an order authorizing Carpenter to use federal funding to represent children being held in adult lock-up.
Carpenter worked on the project from 1989–1991 to achieve compliance with federal and state laws. She worked with the Juvenile Judges Association, Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, court officials, county council members and probation officers across the state on education and the creation of secure juvenile facilities. Carpenter’s dedication to the project led to system-wide changes. In 1988 Indiana held 7,372 children in adult facilities, by 1991 that number had dropped to around 200.
“She will be missed, but the mission will continue, much strengthened by Susan Carpenter’s leadership over many years.”
For Carpenter, the project is an example of the value the state places on access to justice. She explained the historical significance of the Public Defender’s office: “Indiana established in 1854 the right to counsel in cases where life and liberty are at stake, over a century before a U.S. Supreme Court decision recognized this as a constitutional right. Then in 1883, the Indiana Supreme Court became one of the first to establish post-conviction remedies. The Court has consistently demanded and supported passionate and professional representation of our clients.”
Frances Lee Watson, Clinical Professor of Law, Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, pointed to Carpenter’s dedication to the pursuit of fairness and due process. “Susan brought intellect, compassion, and dedication to the role of the Chief Public Defender. She earned the respect of the bar for her lifetime of distinguished service in pursuit of the civil rights and liberties at the core of our democracy. She will be missed, but the mission will continue, much strengthened by Susan Carpenter’s leadership over many years.”
Carpenter’s important role in protecting the rights of the indigent in criminal cases is echoed by Terre Haute attorney, Jessie Cook. “Susan’s departure is a tremendous loss for the defense bar and for our clients who have benefited immensely from the availability of the best post-conviction and capital defense lawyers in the State. Under her leadership the office tripled in size, and developed an accomplished and successful capital unit with a well deserved reputation for excellence.”
Carpenter graduated magna cum laude from Smith College with an English Language and Literature degree. After graduation from Indiana University Maurer School of Law she was admitted to the Indiana Bar and the Federal District Court, Southern District of Indiana Bar. She worked as a Deputy State Public Defender and Wayne County Public Defender from 1976–1981. In October 1981 she was appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court as the Public Defender of Indiana.
Carpenter is the recipient of the Indiana State Bar Association 2000 Achievement Award, is a member of the Court’s Commission on Race and Gender Fairness and the Indiana Public Defender Commission. She is also on the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute’s Board of Trustees. She previously served on the Governor’s Juvenile Code and Youth Gang Study Commission, National Center for State Courts Special Drug Court Advisory Board and Sentencing Policy Evaluation Committee.
Larry Landis of the Indiana Public Defender Council offered this summary of Carpenter’s career, “For thirty years Susan Carpenter has been a zealous advocate for the despised, discarded, and demonized. She leaves behind an organization of dedicated and highly competent lawyers who perform the sometimes thankless but always vital function of scrutinizing thousands of cases of those in prison to ensure that the innocent are released, those denied a fair trial get one, and those over-punished receive a fair and appropriate sentence.”