JOB ANALYSIS OF FELONY ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDERS - THE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS AND MOST USEFUL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

The duties of public defenders are both broad and complex, and relativ ely little is known about their specific job responsibilities. The pur pose of this study was twofold: (a) to provide information on the spec ific job responsibilities of these attorneys; and (b) to contribute su mmary data to public defender offices for personnel selection and trai ning. This exploratory study identified the tasks performed by felony public defenders and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to pe rform them. A job analysis questionnaire was constructed on the basis of a review of position-related documents, interviews with several fel ony public defenders, and observations of their job activities. One hu ndred and forty-two Florida public defenders completed job analysis qu estionnaires, rating 64 tasks on three dimensions, and 44 knowledge, s kills, and abilities on three dimensions. From the results of the ques tionnaires, the most important tasks and most useful knowledge, skills , and abilities are reviewed and discussed.