State Comptroller Reveals Major Flaws in Israel's Public Defense System Including Data Security and Oversight

A new report by Israel's State Comptroller, Matanyahu Englman, exposes significant deficiencies in the Public Defender's Office, responsible for representing defendants who cannot afford private legal counsel. The report highlights issues in information security, supervision, and unequal fee collection practices. The Public Defender represented about 63% of criminal defendants from 2016 to 2024, with a 2024 budget of approximately 283 million shekels, 73% of which was allocated to external defense attorneys.

A critical finding concerns the "Defender" information system, which holds sensitive data on roughly 550,000 clients since 1996. The report found that all 392 active employees with system access could view all data without proper role-based restrictions. Additionally, access rights for 25 former employees and eight teenagers related to staff were not revoked. The report also criticizes the lack of effective oversight over public defenders, who are outsourced contractors rather than state employees, unlike prosecutors. Despite developing a new supervision model, it has not been fully implemented, with only 14% of defenders undergoing in-depth reviews in 2024.

The report further reveals significant gaps in fee collection. Between 2021 and 2024, the Public Defender imposed about 106,300 fees totaling 56 million shekels but failed to collect 53% of this amount. Moreover, 27,500 fees worth 14.4 million shekels were waived without clear criteria, risking unequal treatment of clients. On a positive note, the Comptroller praised the development of an AI algorithm to assist in fee assessments, though it is not yet fully operational.

Englman emphasized the Public Defender's unique ethical role and called for improved quality assurance, enhanced supervision, clear complaint handling, and strict adherence to legal and security standards for accessing sensitive information. The report was published on June 30, 2026.