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.
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Following years of intense advocacy in the state house, a robust coalition of people in Illinois were successfully able to abolish cash bail with the SAFE-T Act. For the tough on crime crowd, this law would turn Illinois into "the Purge." Anarchy would claim the streets and the entire state would become lawless….but did that actually happen? Joining Hunter today are Celeste Korando, the Chief Public Defender of Jackson County Illinois, Sharlyn Grace, the Senior Policy Advisor at the Cook County Public Defender, and Victoria Kerr, former Public Defender and current Private Defense Counsel in Central IL, to talk about the good, the bad, and the truth of the SAFE-T Act.
Guests:
Celeste Korando, Chief Public Defender, Jackson County, Illinois
Sharlyn Grace, Senior Policy Advisor, Cook County Public Defender
Victoria Kerr, Criminal Defense Attorney, Central Illinois
Resources:
SAFE-T Act
https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/the-illinois-supreme-court-cash-bail-ruling-explained
https://eji.org/news/illinois-becomes-first-state-to-abolish-cash-bail/
Bad Faith Reactions to the Law
https://myfox8.com/news/is-a-purge-law-coming-to-illinois/
Flow Chart
Contact Sharlyn
https://www.cookcountypublicdefender.org/locations-contact/find-public-defender/grace-sharlyn
https://twitter.com/SharlynDGrace
Contact Celeste
https://twitter.com/CelesteKorando
https://www.linkedin.com/in/celeste-korando-ba327a3b
Contact Victoria
Vekay19896@Gmail.com
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Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
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In 2021, the Washington Supreme handed down one of the most important rulings in the history of the state. For decades, people in Washington were convicted under the state's felony drug possession law without any requirement they had knowledge of the drugs they possessed. The court struck down this strict liability law and opened the door for hundreds of thousands of people to be released, resentenced, or have their case vacated. Today, Hunter spoke with Grace O'Connor, Nat Jacob, and Kimonti Carter, the team at the Washington Office of Public Defense, who work on helping people navigate their options in the wake of Blake v State.
Guests:
Grace O'Connor, Former Blake Managing Defense Attorney, Washington Office of Public Defense
Nat Jacob, Blake Triage Attorney, Washington Office of Public Defense
Kimonti Carter, Blake Community Outreach Specialist, Washington Office of Public Defense
Resources:
Blake v State
https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/968730.pdf
Contact the Blake Team
Call 800-414-6064 (ext 218)
Email blake@opd.wa.gov
How to Vacate Conviction
https://opd.wa.gov/find-legal-help-and-information/vacate-drug-possession-convictions-state-v-blake
Since I Been Down
https://www.sinceibeendown.com/
https://www.kimonticarter.com/teach
Redemption Project of Washington
Seattle Clemency Project
https://www.seattleclemencyproject.org/
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Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
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Today, Hunter spoke with Taylor Six, a journalist at the Lexington Harold Leader in Kentucky, to discuss her expansive coverage of the criminal legal system in the state. From a system that is almost devoid of all trials to accusations of racial bias in local prosecutors, Taylor is doing amazing work bringing to light the criminal legal stories that help drive better criminal legal policies.
Guests:
Taylor Six, Journalist, Lexington Harold Leader, Kentucky
Resources:
Follow up on Racial Bias Accusation from Judge
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article284296008.html
Case of Lasielle White
Teen linked to Fatal Shooting Gets Probation
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article275460956.html#storylink=cpy
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article281033483.html
Plea Deal Story
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article278980039.html
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The protections of the Constitution are meant to apply to all Americans regardless of their status, but for those who are incarcerated, courts have systematically denied, abused, or ignored those protections. Today, Hunter is once again joined by Kaelen Perrochet, a UCLA law student and two-time previous guest, to take a look at the various rights prisoner's simply don't have. From denial of healthcare and safety to no access to courts or counsel, this episode is a reminder that courts have and continue to determine who should rights based simply on who they are.
Guests:
Kaelen Perrochet, UCLA Law Student,
Resources:
Singer v Raemisch
https://casetext.com/case/singer-v-raemisch
Lewis v Casey
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/94-1511.ZO.html
Estelle v Gamble
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/429/97
Farmer v Brennan
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/92-7247.ZS.html
Brown v Plata
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/09-1233.ZO.html
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
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Today, Hunter is continuing his coverage of public defense in Texas by speaking with former Executive Director of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission and current Executive Director of the Texas Fair Defense Project, Geoff Burkhart. Under his leadership, there was a massive expansion of institutional public defender offices around Texas, but it happened in an extremely unorthodox manner. Normally, public defender offices spring up in the urban areas and slowly make their way to the more rural parts of the state, but in Texas, that model has been a bit backwards. With the grant money TIDC provided, rural communities jumped at the chance to have institutional public defender offices, while some large metro areas (Tarrant County in particular) still relied on a contract base private attorney system. Why that happened, what Geoff learned, and why he left TIDC to work at the Fair Defense Project are just a few of the topics explored on today's episode!
Guests:
Geoff Burkhart, Executive Director, Texas Fair Defense Project
Resources:
Texas Fair Defense Project
Texas Indigent Defense Commission
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Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
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Today, Hunter sat down with Kimberly Simmons, Executive Director, and Jamie Spencer, managing attorney, at the Texas Rio Grande Public Defender to discuss their role in fighting against the mass immigration prosecutions of Operation Lone Star. Despite immigration policy falling under the exclusive control of the federal government, Texas started OLS after it determined not enough was being done to arrest and deport migrants in the country illegally. As with most tough on crime immigration policies, the goal of OLS is to make the deportation of people go as quickly as possible, without much regard for due process or the treatment of those being detained. This episode highlights the importance of the public defense in stopping states from railroading people through our broken immigration system.
Guests:
Kimberly Simmons, Executive Director, Texas Rio Grande Public Defender
Jamie Spencer, Managing Attorney, Texas Rio Grande Public Defender
Resources:
TRGPD
Operation Lone Star
https://www.tidc.texas.gov/operation-lone-star/
https://www.texastribune.org/series/operation-lone-star/
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Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
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Today, Hunter is joined by longtime criminal justice investigative journalist Radley Balko to discuss his newest reporting on Public Defender systems around the country. Over his storied career covering everything from police misconduct to legislation like AEDPA, Radley noticed that at the heart of so many cases was poor access to competent counsel. This spurred him in the fall of 2023 to start an investigative series into the inner workings of each state's public defender system. Today, Hunter and Radley discuss the first instalment that covered Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Alaska, and California.
Guests:
Radley Balko, Investigative Journalist
Resources:
The Watch (Radley's Podcast)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/
States of Indigent Defense Part 1
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-states-of-indigent-defense-part
Perpetual Crisis in Indigent Defense
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-perpetual-crisis-in-indigent
Lee Enterprise Arizona
Larry Price
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Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
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Today, Hunter spoke with Annie Legomsky, the Holistic Defense Service leader for the Missouri State Public Defender. On this episode, Hunter and Annie discuss the incredible success stories from the implementation of a state wide holistic defense practice. For many, holistic defense seems like a great idea, but they feel they cannot muster the resources to make it happen. This story is an excellent example of the ways an office can creatively find the money to make holistic defense possible
Guest:
Annie Legomsky, Holistic Defense Services, Missouri State Public Defender
Resources:
Missouri State Public Defender
https://publicdefender.mo.gov/
Partners for Justice
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
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@PDefenselessPod
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Today, Hunter is once again joined by Mississippi State Public Defender Andre de Gruy to discuss the criminal legal system in Mississippi. Specifically, Hunter and Andre dig into how the state ended the "dead zone" in the legal system that left incarcerated people without counsel for more than a year. They discuss the on going problems in making the changes meaningful improvements in the overall legal system, and after that, they touch on the state's attempt to take over the judicial system in Jackson Mississippi.
Guests:
Andre de Gruy, State Public Defender, Mississippi
Resources:
State Take Over of Jackson's Judiciary
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/21/us/jackson-mississippi-judicial-system/index.html
Mississippi Dead Zone
https://6ac.org/mississippis-dead-zone-highlights-the-urgent-need-for-state-level-reforms/
https://www.pushblack.us/news/states-public-defender-system-leaves-many-dead-zone
Mississippi Public Defense System
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
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The conditions with which Public Defenders must fight under are set in the state house. That's why Hunter is so excited to speak with one of the best criminal law policy groups in the country, Justice Forward Virginia. Rob Poggenklass, Ashely Shapiro, and Andy Elders join the show to discuss some of the slate of policy reforms they are hoping to tackle this legislative cycle. From prospective Fourth Amendment waivers to child felony expungement cases, Justice Forward Virginia has an impressive and comprehensive agenda to reshape Virginia's rotten criminal legal system.
Guests:
Rob Poggenklass, Executive Director, Justice Forward Virginia
Andy Elders, Chairman of the Board, Justice Forward Virginia
Ashley Shapiro, Vice Chair of the Board, Justice Forward Virginia
Resources:
Lend your voice to Justice Virginia's Policy advocacy
https://justiceforwardva.com/blog/2023/11/27/2024-justice-reform-lobby-day-registration
Follow Justice Forward on
https://www.facebook.com/JusticeForwardVa
https://twitter.com/justicefwdva
https://www.instagram.com/justicefwdva/
2024 Agenda Items
https://justiceforwardva.com/2024-priorities
Issues
https://justiceforwardva.com/issues
Contact Justice Forward VA
https://justiceforwardva.com/contact
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
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@PDefenselessPod
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