One of the benefits the American legal system offers is a public defender. If someone cannot afford an adequate defense, the government will provide an attorney for free.

Makes sense, doesn’t it? Sure, but not to Wisconsin Gov. Scott McCallum.

McCallum calls for a $6.47 million cut in state funding for public defenders during the next two years in his proposed budget.

This means 50 of 309 public defenders will lose their jobs, state public defender Nicholas Chiarkas told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. McCallum insists the budget is tight and many departments are taking cuts.

But public defenders deserve an exemption.

It’s no secret there are more poor people in jail than rich. The reason for this is simple: poor people cannot afford adequate defense. The public defender program will suffer greatly thanks to McCallum’s cuts.

Public defenders each handle about 185 felony cases and 550 misdemeanor cases every year, Chiarkas said. McCallum’s cuts will mean these defenders will have a difficult increase in their already hectic schedule.

The department is stretched thin as it is. With these cuts, it will become terribly difficult for the defenders to handle each case carefully. This, ultimately, means more people will go to jail.

By cutting millions in the public defender department, McCallum only demonstrates how ridiculously irresponsible his budget is. What might be worst of all is that McCallum didn’t include Chiarkas in any discussion of potential cuts. And now the governor’s only defense is that every department has to deal with cuts.

If McCallum wants to prove himself an effective leader who cares about something, it would be wise for him to amend this section of his budget.

Otherwise, many poor people will pay for his mistake.