Public Defender to Retire After Three Decades
of Service to Dutchess County
Poughkeepsie… Dutchess County Executive William F.X. O’Neil has announced the upcoming retirement of Public Defender Thomas N.N. Angell, who will retire at the end of this year. Mr. Angell has served Dutchess County for 34 years, including more than 12 years leading the Public Defender’s Office (including service as Acting Public Defender).
County Executive O’Neil said, “Tom Angell has led the Dutchess County Office of the Public Defender with professionalism, integrity, and passionate advocacy on behalf of those within the criminal justice system of Dutchess County. Over his decades of service, he has upheld the right of every person to legal representation and in doing so, he has helped so many people who found themselves in the criminal justice systems suffering programs far bigger than their criminal offense – whether its untreated mental health issues, substance use disorders, or family challenges – and helped them to get their life back on track. We are grateful to Tom for his unwavering dedication and we wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement.”
A longtime Dutchess County resident, Tom Angell was appointed Public Defender in January 2013 by former County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro. Mr. Angell’s law career spans over 42 years and began as the Reginald Heber Smith Fellow for Mid-Hudson Legal Services, Inc. of Poughkeepsie following receiving his Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from Hofstra Law School. He joined Dutchess County Government in 1989 as Senior Assistant Public Defender before being named Chief Assistant Public Defender in 2004 and then appointed Acting Public Defender in 2011.
As Public Defender, Mr. Angell has led the office’s efforts to provide effective, quality representation to indigent clients within Dutchess County’s court system. The Dutchess County Public Defender’s Office is a legal service component of Dutchess County Government, providing legal representation to indigent clients who have been accused of a crime or have matters pending in Dutchess County Family Court. The Public Defender’s Office assists individuals who have been contacted regarding a criminal police matter, before they have been formally charged, and advocates for the protection of the constitutional rights of clients, working toward achieving results that have the greatest likelihood to help and/or rehabilitate clients in need.
Mr. Angell has served as a member of the Dutchess County Criminal Justice Council, including as Co-Chair of the Jail/Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) Committee and the ReEntry Committee. His legacy of helping improve the criminal justice system in Dutchess County, includes:
- Secured millions of State grant dollars to help expand services, including nearly doubling staff; opening a satellite office in Fishkill; increasing the number of social workers to help connect clients with services, advocate and provide mitigation reports to sentencing judges; and establishing Family Court and Parole Divisions to help indigent individuals with cases in Dutchess County Family Court or those who have violated Parole or in need of administrative representation during Parole hearings.
- Established the Conflict Swap program with Ulster County Public Defender, a shared services agreement between the two counties to address the soaring, State-mandated costs of providing legal defense counsel to indigent clients when a Public Defender’s Office is disqualified from representing an eligible client due to a legal conflict.
- Helped establish felony and misdemeanor Veterans Treatment Courts to adjudicate cases of offenses involving veterans, specifically those living with trauma, addiction or mental illness related to their service.
- Assisted with development and design planning for space to provide transitional programing at the new Dutchess County Justice & Transition Center, slated to open in early 2024.
- Helped expand re-entry and ATI programming within the County, ensuring a continuum of services to help reduce recidivism.
Mr. Angell was a recipient of the New York State Bar Association’s Dennison Ray Criminal Defendant Staff Award in 1995 and the National Association of Social Workers Hudson Valley Division’s Citizen of the Year Award in 1989. Mr. Angell also serves on the boards of the New York State Chief Defenders Association and the New York State Defender’s Association.
Mr. Angell said, “As Public Defender, it has been my distinct pleasure to oversee the operations of our office for the last decade, and to work for the County, serving four County Executives, for the last 34 years. I am proud to have continued this office’s tradition of ensuring high-quality, effective legal representation for some of the most vulnerable individuals within Dutchess County’s criminal justice system. We pride ourselves on walking together with our clients, treating them with respect and dignity, as we work through the legal process seeking the very best outcome possible. I am grateful to County Executive O’Neil for his faith in my leadership ability and his support of the important work of the Public Defender’s office.”
Mr. Angell has long been actively involved in the community, serving as a member of the Town of Stanford Planning Board and on the Board of Directors for the Dutchess County Agricultural Society. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Mental Health Association of Dutchess County, Dutchess Outreach and the Alternative Crisis Pregnancy Center, Inc. He has also volunteered for the United Way of Dutchess County and served as the Clerk of Bulls Head Meeting for the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Clinton Corners.
Mr. Angell and his wife, Janet, reside in the Town of Stanford on the Bentley Farm where they have raised their eight children. His extended family has operated the Bentley Farm for several generations. Mr. Angell looks forward to spending more time on the farm with his grandchildren and opening a part-time legal practice in Stanfordville.
