The public defender represents a person accused of a crime, while the state's attorney represents the victim of the alleged crime. A public defender is appointed by the trial judge to defend the accused if he or she is financially unable to hire an attorney.

Appointed by the circuit judge, the chief public defender is responsible for properly staffing the department. Stephenson County currently has four full-time and one part-time public defenders.

Primary services are

• Defense of persons accused of crimes
• Counseling and referrals