Coades v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole

In Coades v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 84 Pa. Commw. 484, 480 A.2d 1298 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1984), the Court succinctly discussed the right of an indigent to counsel in parole revocation hearings as developed in case law subsequent to Tinson: The Court, in Coades, also determined that "the due process guarantees under the Pennsylvania constitution are no greater than those afforded by the Federal Constitution." Id. at 1305. The Court held that the right of a parolee to counsel is statutory, found in Section 6(a) of the Act commonly known as the Public Defender Act, which states, in relevant part: (a) The public defender shall be responsible for furnishing legal counsel, in the following types of cases, to any person who, for lack of sufficient funds, is unable to obtain legal counsel: (10) Probation and parole proceedings and revocation thereof. 16 P.S. 9960.6(a)(10); Coades, 480 A.2d at 1305.