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.
When most in the Public Defender world think about the Bronx Defenders, they think of an office at the forefront of imagining a new path forward for Public Defense. Despite this, the Bronx Defenders sat as outlier amongst the New York City Public Defender Offices as one of the last who were not unionized. Today, Hunter spoke with Babatunde Aremu, President of the new Bronx Defenders Union, to discuss the interesting history of the office's relationship with unions, his work as a civil public defender, and the example other offices can learn from the leadership at the Bronx Defenders willingness to accept the unionization without a fight.
Guest:
Babatunde Aremu, Union President and Civil Action Attorney, Bronx Defender
Resources
Contact the Bronx Defender Union
BXDunion@gmail.com
Bronx Defenders
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Today, Hunter sat down with Mary Ann Scali (Executive Director, Gault Center) and HyeJi (Senior Youth Defense Counsel, Gault Center), to discuss the legacy of the Supreme Court Case in re Gault and how it impacts youth representation today. Much like the episode with Justine Olderman and Wes Caines on the legacy of Gideon, today's episode is a reflection on America's history of neglecting the rights of children, what in re Gault meant for youth access to counsel, and how the court maybe did not go as far as it could have with that case. Most importantly, this episode is meant to serve as a reminder that Public Defense cannot continue to overlook the importance of youth representation. Around the country, youth representation is still viewed as the minor leagues of Public Defense, and it is time for the entire profession to move to practices the understand the importance of having specialized youth defenders who are resourced and staffed to attack a case with the same vigour as their offices dedicate to serious adult felonies.
Guest:
Mary Ann Scali, Executive Director, Gault Center
HyeJi Kim, Senior Youth Defense Counsel, Gault Center
Resources
in re Gault Case
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/387/1/
in re Gault on 5-4 Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5XZDGyhLn6pZzS8YkC5N7O
Gault Center
https://www.defendyouthrights.org/
Follow Gault Center on Twitter
https://twitter.com/GaultCenter?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Roper v Simmons
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-633.ZS.html
Haley v Ohio
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/332/596
J.D.B v North Carolina
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/564/261/
Access Denied
http://defendyouthrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Access-Denied.pdf
Defend Children
Juvenile Records Bill in Louisiana
https://www.theroot.com/louisiana-house-passes-bill-outing-juvenile-records-in-1850442089
HyeJi in Teen Vouge
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/juvenile-justice-united-states-courts
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Jane Fox (Legal Aid Society New York) and Kyle Morris (Nashville Public Defender Office) to discuss all things student debt forgiveness. Last time they were on the show, Jane and Kyle walked Hunter through the complicated landscape of Public Service Loan Forgiveness, President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, and several other topics of interest. Since that interview, student debt forgiveness has become a even more pressing issue of conversation as the deadline for student debt payments getting turned back on looms large. Join Hunter, Jane, and Kyle as they breakdown the implications for public defense and other career fields as they grapple with the implications of the future of student debt.
Guest:
Jane Fox, Public Defender and Chapter Chair, Legal Aid Society, New York City
Kyle Morris, Felony Public Defender, Nashville Public Defender
Resources
Student Aid .gov
Student Borrower Protection Center
Cancel My Student Debt. Org
https://www.cancelmystudentdebt.org/
Legal Aid Society
Nashville Defenders
https://publicdefender.nashville.gov/
Contact Kyle
KyleMMorris@jisnashville.gov
Contact Jane
jfox@legal-aid.org
Follow Jane on Twitter
Follow Kyle on Twitter
https://twitter.com/Kyle_Morris
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Today, Hunter spoke with Elbert Aull, a Public Defender from King County Washington and chairman of the Public Defender Union's Political Action Committee to discuss the vital role the union played in bringing attention to the horrid conditions of jails in King County. As with many of our unionization episodes, this episode highlights the type of political and media engagement that are not normally available to Public Defenders, whether they be non-unionized or contract. Most importantly, Elbert's work on the Political Action Committee demonstrates the potential for Public Defenders to become trusted members of the labor force and how they can leverage that trust to shape criminal legal discourse across a politically diverse state like Washington.
Guest:
Elbert Aull, Public Defender, King County, Washington
Resources
PAC comments on the jail crisis
https://www.thestranger.com/news/2022/09/08/78447742/how-can-we-fix-the-king-county-jail-crisis
ACLU Lawsuit that lead to restricting of Public Defense
Email Elbert
elbertaulliv@gmail.com
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Across the country, a movement of so called progressive prosecutors has become a focal point of political commentary around the criminal legal system. Today, Hunter spoke with three Chief Public Defenders, Mano Raju, Keisha Hudson, and Ricardo Garcia to discuss their observations and perspectives dealing with these progressive prosecutors. For each of the guests and Hunter, there is a universal agreement that this movement is directionally a massive improvement over old school tough on crime prosecutors, but we also acknowledge there are severe limitations on what they can do. From the recall of Chesa Boudin to the massive pushback against Larry Krasner and George Gascon, the politics of crime make it challenging for this DAs to reach all of their lofty promises.
Guest:
Keisha Hudson, Chief Public Defender, Defenders of Association of Philadelphia
Ricardo Garcia, Chief Public Defender, Los Angeles
Mano Raju, Chief Public Defender, San Francisco
Resources
Defenders Association of Philadelphia
https://phillydefenders.org/home/
Follow Philly Defenders
https://twitter.com/phillydefenders/
Follow Philly Defenders on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/phillydefenders/
LA County Public Defender
Follow LA Public Defender on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/lapubdef/
SF Public Defender
SF Public Defender on Twitter
https://twitter.com/sfdefender
Pamela Price
Larry Krasner
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Today, Hunter spoke with James McDermott and Paul Chambers, two Public Defenders from the Far West Texas Office, to discuss their vision for a better model for Public Defense Delivery. According to the ABA and basically every Public Defender organization, vertical representation is what all offices should strive for. Under this model, attorneys handle every aspect of the case from first appearance to disposition, but is this really the best model available? In their office, James and Paul have moved towards something they refer to as "ensemble representation". With more of a flat power dynamic, their model deemphasizes the role of the attorney in an effort to truly put the client at the center of the representation.
Guest:
James McDermott, Chief Public Defender, Far West Texas Public Defense
Paul Chambers, Deputy Chief Public Defender, Far West Texas Public Defense
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Today, Hunter sat down with Alexandra Pray, Deputy Public Defender in San Francisco and Board Member of the Public Defender Union, to discuss the unique arrangement the City Attorneys, Prosecutors, and Public Defenders have in SF. When we've discussed Public Defense Unions, we ordinarily hear about coalitions of Public Defenders and sometimes all staff members coming together to advocate for better conditions, better workloads, and better pay, but in San Francisco, Public Defenders have a strange ally in the fight for better working conditions. In what may better be described as a collective bargaining agreement, the City Attorneys, Prosecutors, and Public Defenders work together to negotiate better pay and working conditions. How are they able to put aside radical differences in viewpoints around the criminal legal system to find solidarity? Tune in to listen to Alexandra explain how this unique arrangement works.
Guest:
Alexandra Pray, Deputy Public Defender, San Francisco
Resources:
Adachi Project
https://www.adachiproject.com/
SF Standard
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
Today, Hunter spoke with Diego Alcala, a criminal defense attorney in Puerto Rico, to better understand the challenges the island faces in the criminal legal system. From years of experience as a criminal defense attorney in Puerto Rico and other parts of the United States, Diego cuts through the complicated legal layers to get at a core issue plaguing Puerto Rico: For more than a century, the island has been subjected to the whims of the United States, and the lack of self-determination, access to health care, and continued imposition of the United States' will serves as a severe determent to the flourishing of Puerto Ricans.
Guest:
Diego Alcala, Criminal Defense Attorney, Puerto Rico
Resources:
Follow Diego on Twitter
https://twitter.com/DiegoAlcalaPR
Connect with Diego on Linked In
https://pr.linkedin.com/in/diegoalcala
See Diego's Work on his website
Learn More About Puerto Rico and the Insular Cases
https://www.fivefourpod.com/episodes/united-states-v-vaello-madero/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9wyx_dqzAg
https://shows.acast.com/fivefourpod/episodes/the-insular-cases-teaser
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
"Well I grew up poor and I didn't go off committing crimes!" Arguably, this is the most common response those that work in the field of mitigation hear when they are trying to explain what mitigation is. To tackle this question and discuss take another look at the importance of non-capital mitigation, Hunter spoke with Victoria Rusk. She is a mitigation expert, author, and founder of Mitigation University and Heart of Justice, and on today's episode, Victoria and Hunter take another deep dive at trying to understand the best way to confront the biases that jurors, judges, prosecutors, and yes, public defenders, have during a criminal trial. In confronting these biases, there is hope that a mitigation specialist can connect the various stakeholders in the legal system with the humanity of the defendants in each case.
Guest:
Victoria Rusk, Founder of Mitigation University and Heart of Justice
Resources:
Follow Victoria on Linked In
https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rusk-a4695292?trk=public_post_feed-actor-name
Heart of Justice
https://www.heartofjustice.org/
Mitigation University
https://mitigationuniversity.com/
"The French" Tweet
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
If you spend anytime watching news in the past 3 years, you have likely heard about San Francisco. Normally, that conversation revolves around the state of public safety in the city, and often, it is presented from the perspective of progressive prosecution. Today, Hunter had on Mano Raju, Chief Public Defender of the San Francisco, to give a different perspective on the path forward for public safety in the city. As an elected official, Mano is uniquely situated to speak with community leaders and organizers to explain why a reversion to the tough on crime era is not best for the public safety of San Francisco.
Guest:
Mano Raju, Chief Public Defender, San Francisco
Resources:
Follow Mano on Twitter
https://twitter.com/ManoRajuPD?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Follow SF Defenders on Twitter
https://twitter.com/sfdefender
SF Defender Website
Follow SF Defenders on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sfpublicdefender/?hl=en
Adachi Project
https://www.adachiproject.com/
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
@PDefenselessPod
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