According to a new study, Philadelphia's appointed defense counsel system has key deficiencies affecting the quality of representation that can't be fixed without state intervention.

The study, conducted by the Boston-based Sixth Amendment Center and funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, identified two areas of concern with the city's indigent defense services: lack of adequate compensation for counsel and lack of independence from judicial influence.

In the wake of the ongoing conflict-counsel debate in Philadelphia, Councilman-at-Large Dennis O'Brien requested that the Sixth Amendment Center examine the city's appointed counsel system to determine if it meets with the American Bar Association's “Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System.”