Stay ConnectedAnyone paying attention can tell you that our criminal legal system is perpetuating cruelty and harm, but the complexity of the legal world overwhelms most people simply trying to get through another day.
Public Defenseless explores the rot in the justice system and what we can do about it. Join host, Hunter Parnell, as he interviews top defense attorneys and criminal justice stakeholders from across the country as they pull apart the convoluted web of our criminal justice system.
Today, Hunter spoke with David Bennett, a veteran in the field of pretrial services. They discuss the evolution of pretrial services, the challenges of jail overcrowding, and the misconceptions surrounding pretrial programs. David shares insights on the importance of community support, risk assessment, and the need for effective alternatives to electronic monitoring. The conversation highlights the critical role of rehabilitation and support services in the criminal justice system, emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift in how we approach punishment and pretrial release.
Guest:
David Bennett, Retired Pre-Trial Services and Criminal Justice Consultant
Resources:
Read More Here
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/jail-capacity-planning-guide-systems-approach
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
Today, Hunter spoke with three amazing guests from Colorado's Office of Alternate Defense Counsel. Kristin Ladd, Blue Daniels, and Mesa Anderson joined the show to discuss the Greater Colorado Fellowship. This program aims to place lawyers in rural parts of the state to serve as private criminal defense lawyers who handle public defender cases.
Guest:
Kristin Ladd, Attorney Development Coordinator, Office of Alternate Defense Counsel, Colorado
Mesa Anderson, Greater Colorado Fellow, Western Slope of Colorado
Blue Daniels, Greater Colorado Fellow, Durango, Colorado
Resources:
Find More About the Program Here
https://www.coloradoadc.org/public-information/greater-colorado-programs
Email the Guests
Blue Daniels blue@coloradoadc.com
Kristin Ladd kristin@coloradoadc.com
Mesa Anderson mesa@coloradoadc.com
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
In this conversation, Hunter Parnell speaks with criminologist Emily about the unique challenges faced by justice-involved women. They discuss the importance of culturally competent tools and resources, the need for gender-specific risk assessment tools, and the impact of trauma and domestic violence on women's pathways to crime. Emily emphasizes the necessity of individualized approaches in the criminal justice system and the importance of listening to the voices of those affected. The conversation also touches on the rising incarceration rates of women and the need for diversion programs to address these issues effectively.
Guest:
Emily Sailsbury PhD, Professor, University of Utah college of Social Work
Resources:
Find Emily's Work Here
https://profiles.faculty.utah.edu/u6030672
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
Today, Hunter spoke with Natasha Dartigue, the Chief Public Defender of the Maryland Office of Public Defense. This time, Natasha and Hunter spoke about the workload crisis facing the state and a slate of new criminal legal policies that are pushing Maryland in a better direction.
Guest:
Natasha Dartigue, Chief Public Defender, Maryland
Resources:
Maryland Public Defender
Immigration (both bills passed and went into effect 6/1/25):
National workloads:
Youth Justice:
Second Look Act (goes into effect 10/1/25):
Parental Defense:
Safer Traffic Stops:
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
Today, Hunter was joined by the Southern Center for Human Right's Blake Feldman. Hunter and Blake walked through a handful of criminal legal policy changes that recently went into effect in Georgia. Unfortunately, the state continues it's tough on crime approach that may ultimately lead to more kids in adult court, more adults serving mandatory minimums, and the state further trying to incarcerate it's way out of societal issues.
Guest:
Blake Feldman, Senior Policy Counsel, Southern Center for Human Rights
Resources:
Southern Center for Human Rights
https://www.facebook.com/southerncenterforhumanrights/
https://www.instagram.com/thesoutherncenter
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCApuQiMnBpcuxt-GWx9eF1A
https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesoutherncenter/
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
Today, Hunter was joined by three guests from Hennepin County's Adult Representation Services. As has been discussed multiple times on the show, many of the clients that walk into a public defender office have legal needs outside their criminal case. Whether it is in eviction court or family court, our clients often do not have access to counsel in these critical cases. ARS was created to fill the gaps in the access to counsel to ensure people have a fighting chance in their civil legal issues.
Guest:
Jeanette Boerner, Director of Adult Representation Services, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Jessica Ryan, Principal Attorney, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Terrance Hendricks, Principal Attorney, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Resources:
ARS Website
https://www.hennepin.us/en/adult-representation-services
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
Today, Hunter was joined by Journalist Dan Hinkel to discuss his newest piece about the Conviction Integrity Unit in Cook County. While CIUs are an imperfect vessel to right the wrongs of a wrongful conviction, they still serve an essential function when they operate properly. The problem is since Eileen O'Neill Burketook over as the new State Attorney in Cook County the CIU hasn't exonerated a single person. Dan joins the show to help us understand how that has happened.
Guest:
Dan Hinkel, Senior Reporter, Injustice Watch
Resources:
Find Dan's Work Here
https://www.injusticewatch.org/author/danhinkel/
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Carlos Martinez, Chief Public Defender in Miami Dade County. This time, Carlos joined to explain the tech innovations he implemented to get workloads under control, how immigration enforcement is impacting their practice, and the danger of the state pursuing more capital cases.
Guest:
Carlos Martinez, Chief Public Defender, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Resources:
Contact OPD Here
https://www.pdmiami.com/public-defender/home.page
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
Today, Hunter was joined by several amazing public defenders from the Montana Public Defender System. Each one of them joins the show to talk about the truly transformative effects that workload limits have had on the system, what they hope to see continue to improve in the system, and how the work is finally sustainable because they have enforced workload standards.
Guest:
Brett Schandelson, Chief Public Defender, Montana Office of the State Public Defender
David Carter, Managing Attorney, Polson, Montana Office of the State Public Defender
Natasha Fernando, Managing Attorney, Billings Conflict Division, Montana Office of the State Public Defender
Clair Lettow, Managing Attorney, Great Falls, Montana Office of the State Public Defender
Nick Aemisegger, Managing Attorney, Kalispell, Montana Office of the State Public Defender
Jeavon Lang, Managing Attorney, Appellate, Montana Office of the State Public Defender
Qasim Abdul Baki, Public Defender, Montana Office of the State Public Defender
Resources:
Contact OPD Here
https://publicdefender.mt.gov/
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Andre de Gruy, Mississippi's State Public Defender. Andre joins the show this time to discuss a new pilot program that aims to provide rural communities full time public defenders. Andre hopes that this programs can be the start of Mississippi finally taking its obligations under Gideon seriously.
Guest:
Andre de Gruy, The State Public Defender, Mississippi
Resources:
Read More Here
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2025/06/12/mississippi-public-defender-pilot-program
Contact Andre
adegr@ospd.ms.gov
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Subscribe to the Patreon
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
