Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with David Garlock, a formerly incarcerated and current criminal justice reformer, to discuss how David’s journey from victim, to prison, to life after prison has landed him adv…

On today’s episode, Hunter spoke with Jon Lyon, the Investigator Resource Coordinator for the National Association for Public Defense, to talk all things investigator related. As Public Defense is …

Previously on the show, Hunter spoke with Marea Beeman about the dangerous fines and fees that make “free” attorneys decidedly not “free”. Today, Hunter sat down with Priya Sarathy Jones, Deputy Ex…

Taking over a Public Defender System requires one to understand the greatest weaknesses of the system. For TaShun Bowden-Lewis, one of those is a sever lack of outreach from the Connecticut Office …

After spending 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Anthony Graves hopes he can start a movement of getting more people with experience with the legal system involved in Public Defen…

Normally in criminal law, intent matters. The intent of a person is one of the most critical features in determining how we will punish someone for a crime they committed. Then came the felony murd…

Today, Hunter spoke with the newest Chief Public Defender for the State of Maryland, Natasha Dartigue. Throughout her career, Natasha worked in every imaginable part of the Maryland Public Defender…

For somewhere between a third and a half of indigent people accused of a crime, they will be given either an assigned or contract Public Defender. Today’s guest, Professor Eve Primus, argues that we …

For some reason, people forget that long before New York or Illinois ended cash bail, New Jersey successfully eliminated cash bail. As Joseph Krakora shares on today’s episode, that initiative came, …

While the main focus of the podcast is the representation that adults receive in felony and misdemeanor cases, there are countless other areas of law where indigent people need the help of attorneys.…

In a good faith effort to hold police accountable, states and counties around the country started mandating that police wear body cameras at all times. When they or on or working, they offer a powerf…

With the grueling nature of Public Defense work, it takes a special combination of internal and external motivations to navigate a 20+ year career in the field. Today on the show our guest, Andre Vit…

When we think of zealous Public Defense, we often think of triumphant victories in the court room, but today’s guest wants Public Defenders to realize their greatest victories must come outside of th…

Today, Hunter spoke with Diane Lozano, the Wyoming State Public Defender, to discuss how she’s been able to secure support for Public Defense in the challenge political landscape of Wyoming. With mor…

For decades, activists, scholars, and attorneys decried the state of public defense in New York. Report after report uncovered a broken system that underpaid public defenders and contact attorneys al…

Today on the show, Hunter spoke with Michael Smith, an Assistant Public Defender in Chattooga County, Georgia, to talk about the unique challenges he faces as a rural public defender. After college a…

 Over the last year of Public Defenseless, Hunter spent a lot of time speaking with Chief Public Defenders from commissions and state-wide offices around the country. This top down view of Public Def…

A major theme of this show is empower regular people with the knowledge necessary to push back against the overreach of the state via police and prosecutors. That's why Hunter was so excited to bring…

Across the country, outdated and disconnected data systems keep thousands of people stuck in prison or on community supervision long after they should technically be free. Today, Hunter spoke with Se…

On this episode, Hunter spoke with Jason Tashea to discuss the exciting intersection of tech and the legal system. As the Director and Co-Founder of the Georgetown Judicial Innovation Fellowship, Jas…