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
333 | How The American Eugenics Movement Helped Create Habitual Offender Laws w/Daniel Loehr
Today, Hunter spoke with Professor Daniel Loehr to discuss his research on the Eugenics Origin of Habitual Offender Laws. While many people hear habitual offender laws and think of the three strikes…
332 | The Coalition Fighting to Save New York's Discovery Laws w/Amanda Jack and Kalle Condliffe
Today, Hunter spoke with Amanda Jack and Kalle Condliffe of the New York Legal Aid Society about the fight to save Kalief’s Law. This law, passed in 2020, aimed to create much needed reforms to evid…
331 | How the Far West Texas Public Defenders Uncovered a Pattern of Discovery Violations in El Paso w/James McDermott and Paul Chambers
Today, Hunter spoke with Paul Chambers and James McDermott of the Far West Texas Public Defenders Office. This time, they joined to discuss how Paul discovered and James litigated a pattern and prac…
330 | The Fight to Reform Oklahoma's Failure to Protect Laws w/Alexandra Bailey and Cindy Nguyen
Today, Hunter spoke with Alexandra Bailey and Cindy Nguyen to discuss Oklahoma’s Failure to Protect Laws. A few years back, Alexandra joined the show to discuss theses laws, and as a reminder, these…
329 | Prosecutorial Reform and the Myth of Individualized Enforcement w/Justin Murray
Today, Hunter spoke with Professor Justin Murray about his recent law review article, Prosecutorial Reform and the Myth of Individualized Enforcement. On several past episodes, Hunter has explored t…
328 | How the Laken Riley Act Could Get Innocent People Sent to Guantanamo Bay w/Ann Block and Nithya Nathan-Pineau
Today, Hunter spoke with Ann Block and Nithya Nathan-Pineau from the Immigrant Resource Legal Center to discuss the newest immigration related legislation, executive orders, and policies coming from …
327 | Should we Have Universal Public Defense w/Alexis Hoag-Fordjour
Today, Hunter spoke with Professor Alexis Hoag-Fordjour about two of her most recent law review articles. In her first, she argues for a new way of thinking about how we evaluate claims of ineffecti…
326 | How Cuyahoga County Jail Keeps Prisoners from their Family and Records their Conversations w/Nikki Baszynski
Today, Hunter spoke once again with Nikki Baszynski of the Wren Collective to talk about the Criminal Legal System in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. This time, they discussed an update about youth represent…
325 | Is Kansas Public Defense on the Verge of a Crisis? w/Heather Cessna
Today, Hunter spoke once again with Heather Cessna, the Executive Director of the Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services. This time, Hunter and Heather discuss how Kansas Public Defense could b…
324 | The Fight to End Youth Shackling and Limit Mass Surveillance in Virginia w/Rob Poggenklass and Bryan Kennedy
Today, Hunter spoke once again with Rob Poggenklass and Bryan Kennady from Justice Forward Virginia. Last year, Justice Forward Virginia joined the show to discuss the 2024 criminal justice policies…
323 | How One Inconsistent Eye Witness Led to the Wrongful Conviction of Ivery Dorsey w/Kerrie Liang
Today, Hunter spoke with Kerrie Liang, a student at Princeton University, to discuss the wrongful conviction of Ivery Dorsey. Through her and classmates work at Princeton, Kerrie walks us through ho…
322 | The Impact of and the Resistance to Mass Deportation Policies w/Hans Meyer and Holly Lucas
Today, Hunter spoke with Hans Meyer and Holly Lucas to discuss a variety of topics at the intersection of the criminal legal and immigration systems. With the Trump administration poised to implemen…
321 | How Virginia Prison Officials Lied About Red Onion Prisoner Lighting Themselves on Fire w/Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Today, Hunter spoke with Senior Reporter at The Appeal, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg. A few weeks ago, Hunter was joined by Phil Wilayto of the Virginia Defender to talk about why prisoners of Virginia…
320 | Carceral Apartheid: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons w/Brittany Friedman
Today, Hunter spoke with Professor Brittany Freidman about her new book Carceral Apartheid. In this book, Professor Freidman tells the story of the California Prison System, the racist violence the …
319 | How a Petty Theft Could get you 180 Days in Jail in Rifle Municipal Court w/Scott Troxell
Today, Hunter sat down with Scott Troxell to wrap up our conversation on Colorado Municipal Courts. This time, the conversation focuses on how Rifle Municipal Courts were giving people 6 Months sent…
318 | How to Fight and Abolish the Death Penalty Outside of the Courtroom w/Abraham Bonowitz
Today, Hunter sat down with longtime death penalty abolitionist activist Abraham Bonowitz. On previous episodes about death penalty abolition, the show has primarily focused on the successes and fai…
317 | How Pueblo Municipal Court Used Contempt of Court to Send People to Jail for Years w/Keri Williams
Today, Hunter sat down with Keri Williams to continue our coverage of Municipal Courts in Colorado. This time, they discussed how Pueblo Municipal Courts were giving people years in jail for contemp…
316 | The Everyday Cruelty in Westminster Municipal Court w/Alison Gordon
Today, Hunter sat down with Alison Gordon to continue our coverage of Municipal Courts in Colorado. This time, the discussion focuses on the extremely punitive Westminster Municipal Court.
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315 | How People Are Denied the Right to Counsel in Grand Junction Municipal Court w/Tristan Gorman and Rebecca Wallace
Today, Tristan Gorman and Rebecca Wallace are back this time to discuss municipal courts in Colorado. This episode is the first of our four-part series on municipal courts in Colorado. This episode …
314 | The Policies Making Colorado More "Tough on Crime" w/Tristan Gorman and Rebecca Wallace
Today, Tristan Gorman and Rebecca Wallace join the show to discuss the policies, ballot initiatives, and rhetoric from district attorneys that is pushing Colorado back in a “tough on crime” directio…