Comment: Yeah, seriously.

No offense to the OP... but if your family member actually committed some heinous crime like rape, murder, etc... then I hope he just pleads guilty for no reduced sentence just to save the taxpayers money.

Having said that, if he committed a "victimless crime" (total oxymoron btw, I hate that the phrase even has to exist) ... then try contacting the Institute for Justice (IJ)... their mission is to protect freedom by representing people getting f*cked over by the government for a variety of reasons that need legal help.

If something in between, like manslaughter charge cause a bar fight ended badly or something... I'd always recommend hiring your own lawyer if you're not gonna plea. Public attys suck.