The 1963 case of Gideon v. Wainwright increase the need for public defenders in the nation’s courts because when he was charged with breaking into a pool hall outside Panama City, he was denied the court-appointed lawyer he had asked for, so that he decided to represent himself but he was found guilty and went to prison. So it is very important that everyone accused of a serious crime has a constitutional right to a lawyer, whether they can afford it or not.