Public Defenseless
Anyone 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.
Like so many of you, Hunter is not an attorney, simply tired of a news cycle and talking heads that offer no real solutions to the ever-growing list of problems we face. Hunter hopes that with this information, you will share his belief that ordinary people still can make a difference.
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 68 minutes
- Episodes
- 402
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
41: Turning Public Defender Priorities into Public Policy Victories with Brad Haywood and Bryan Kennedy
There are only so many victories that can happen for Public Defense in a court room. Of course, we should the goal should be zealous advocacy and the best outcome for each client, but a single victor…
40: How Moral Injury, Stress, and Trauma Impact Public Defense with Jenny Andrews
Jenny Andrews is the Director of Training for California’s Indigent Defense Improvement Division. She’s here today to teach you what public defense is truly like from the defender’s side.
Public de…
39: The Power of Public Advocacy in Alameda County Public Defense with Brendon Woods
This Week, Hunter spoke with the awesome and powerful, Brendon Woods. As Chief Public Defender in Alameda County, Brendon is one of the loudest and strongest advocates for criminal justice reform in …
38: Can the Michigan Model Pave the Way for Public Defense? with Kristen Staley
38: Michigan Public Defense w/ Kristen Staley
Ready for a refreshing dose of positivity?
In this episode, Hunter speaks with Kristen Staley, the Executive Director of the Michigan Indigent Defens…
37: How to Train the Next Generation of Public Defense Leaders with Jeff Sherr and Heather Hall
This week, Hunter spoke with Jeff Sherr and Heather Hall of the National Association of Public Defense to discuss the importance of training the next generation of Public Defense Leaders.
Over their …
36: Kentucky PD and The National Association of Public Defense with Ernie Lewis
Kentucky is known to have a strong and well-structured public defender system, but it is held back by poor funding and an unresponsive legislative body.
This week, Hunter speaks with Ernie Lewis, t…
35: Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Student Debt with Jane Fox and Kyle Morris
This week, Hunter sat down with Jane Fox and Kyle Morris to discuss one of the pressing issues facing millions of Americans: Student Loans.
As of today, there is roughly $1.75 trillion in s…
34: The History of Public Defense with Sara Mayuex
Sara Mayeux is a law professor at Vanderbilt University and the author of the book Free Justice, A History of the Public Defender in 20th Century America.
Sara discusses the progressive era, the 1…
33: How Could Low Attorney Pay Cripple Massachusetts Public Defense w/Anthony Benedetti
The Massachusetts public defense system presents arguably the best example of how contract public defense could work, largely in part to today’s guest—Anthony Benedetti, Chief Public Defender of Mass…
32: Why Nevada Public Defense Failed and the Plan to Build it Back w/Franny Forsman
Franny Forsman has been working in Nevada indigent defense for several decades, and today she brings her impressive breadth of experience to the show!
Franny is a former Post Conviction Indigent D…
31: The Wrongful Conviction of Cyrus Wilson with Cyrus Wilson and Dawn Deaner
On the night of September 15, 1992, in the Nashville Tennessee area, teenager Christopher Luckett was shot and killed.
Two days later, another teenager Cyrus Wilson was arrested for the crime. Even…
30: How Tennessee Fails to Protect Children Accused of Crimes w/Mark Stephens
In this episode, I speak with Mark Stephens, the former chief public defender of Knoxville Tennessee.
Tennessee public defense has been stuck in neutral, if not reverse for a long time. In fact, almo…
29: The Role a Judge can Play in Reforming Public Defense w/Tom Boyd
Today, you’ll hear about public defense from the judge’s point of view. Tom Boyd is a former Michigan District Court Judge who currently works in the court administration office.
At one point one of…
28: Public Defense Commissions with David Kaplan and Sara Hildebrand
Today, I speak with David Kaplan and Sara Hildebrand, two former Colorado public defenders and current members of the Aurora Public Defender Commission.
The three of us dive deep into Public Defens…
27: Why is the Actual Innocence of a Person not Enough to Stop his Execution? with Sylvia Lett and Andrew Sowards
In 1994, Barry Jones was arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's four-year-old daughter. Even though his innocence is obvious to all who would look, he sits on Arizona's death row, waiti…
26: Junk Science and the Makings of a Wrongful Conviction with Chris Fabricant
Like most people, shows like CSI, Law and Order, or even Dexter, may have you convinced that the science used to convict people is airtight. Everything from bite marks, blood spatter, and even finger…
25: The Need for Mercy in the Kentucky Legal System w/Ed Monahan
In 1976, Ed Monahan was hired as a Kentucky assistant public defender. He would eventually go on to be the state’s Public Advocate for an impressive 9 years.
Although he no longer fills that positi…
24: How the Media Poisons Criminal Justice Discourse with Scott Hechinger
Scott Hechinger is the founder and executive director of Zealous. Through his work, he is fighting hard to challenge injustice through the media and topple the imbalance of power within the criminal …
23: Gideon's Promise and Public Defense Culture with Jon Rapping
The founder of Gideon’s Promise, this nonprofit organization is on a mission to build a m…