Public Defenseless

Hunter Parnell

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.

  1. 485 | Will Utah Force Homeless People to Move to a Camp Outside of Salt Lake City? w/Nate Crippes

    1d ago

    485 | Will Utah Force Homeless People to Move to a Camp Outside of Salt Lake City? w/Nate Crippes

    Today, Hunter was joined by Nate Crippes of the Disability Law Center in Utah. Nate joined to discuss the proposed 1,300 bed homeless camp that might be built outside of Salt Lake City. Hunter and Nate discussed why this is happening, the danger it poses to the homeless community of Salt Lake City, and what Public Defenders can do to better represent those who are homeless or who have disabilities.   Guest: Nate Crippes, Public Affairs Supervising Attorney, Disability Law Center, Salt Lake City, Utah   Resource: DLC Website https://disabilitylawcenter.org/   Learn More About the Camp Here https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/09/03/utah-homeless-campus-site-unveiled-after-secretive-search/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/us/politics/utah-homeless-camp-stalls.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/us/politics/utah-trump-homeless-campus.html https://www.sltrib.com/news/2025/11/19/massive-slc-homeless-shelter-plan/       Contact Hunter Parnell:      Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home **** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

    59 min
  2. 484 | How the Hamilton County, Ohio Public Defenders are Holding Police and Prosecutors Accountable w/Angela Chang and Sean Vicente

    3d ago

    484 | How the Hamilton County, Ohio Public Defenders are Holding Police and Prosecutors Accountable w/Angela Chang and Sean Vicente

    Today, Hunter was joined by Angela Chang and Sean Vicente of the Hamilton County, Ohio Public Defender Office. They joined the show to explain how they, along with their community, are fighting to hold police and prosecutors accountable for their unethical and illegal actions.   Guest: Angela Chang, Youth Defense Director, Hamilton County Public Defender, Ohio Sean Vicente, Municipal Director, Hamilton County Public Defender, Ohio     Resource: Contact the PDs https://www.hamiltoncountypd.org/ https://www.instagram.com/hamcopubdef/ https://www.facebook.com/hamcopubdef/   Issues around policing/accountability and intersection with discovery/defense Overview of Cincinnati Collaborative Agreement  https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/police/collaborative-agreement-refresh/ https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/police/collaborative-agreement-refresh/documents-and-media-resources/ Discussion of Ohio Public Records law change/ attempts to circumvent discovery exchange by the prosecutor/police https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-149.43 The bill with the redlined amendments https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/135/hb265  https://www.wosu.org/politics-government/2025-11-25/ohio-supreme-court-rules-police-officer-identities-can-be-hidden-from-public-under-marsys-law https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/06/ohio-lawmakers-step-back-from-sweeping-police-secrecy-measure.html       Contact Hunter Parnell:      Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home **** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

    57 min
  3. 483 | How Progressive Politics can Abolish ICE and Build a More Humane Immigration System w/Senator Julie Gonzales

    May 29

    483 | How Progressive Politics can Abolish ICE and Build a More Humane Immigration System w/Senator Julie Gonzales

    Today, Hunter was joined by Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales. Senator Gonzales was instrumental in shaping Colorado's progressive immigration policies. She is running against Senator John Hickenlooper in the Democratic primary for Colorado's Senate seat. Julie hopes that she will be able to bring her progressive politics to D.C. so she can challenge the status quo.   Guest: Julie Gonzales, Colorado State Senator and Candidate for U.S. Senate   Resource:   Julie Gonzales Campaign Website: https://www.julieforcolorado.com/ Julie Gonzales on Socials:  https://www.instagram.com/senadorajulie https://www.facebook.com/senadorajulie https://bsky.app/profile/senadorajulie.bsky.social https://x.com/SenadoraJulie Cato Institute Immigration Data: https://www.cato.org/immigration     Contact Hunter Parnell:      Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home **** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

    45 min
  4. 481 | Was a Former Colorado Public Defender Fired for Raising Concerns over his Workload? Part 2 w/Travis Weiner

    May 27

    481 | Was a Former Colorado Public Defender Fired for Raising Concerns over his Workload? Part 2 w/Travis Weiner

    Today, Hunter was joined once again by Travis Weiner, the former Colorado Public Defender who is suing the Colorado Public Defender System. On a previous episode, Travis detailed that he sued the state because he believed that OSPD retaliated against him for trying to do something about his unethical workloads. Today, Travis joins to discuss the most recent substantive hearing in his case to discuss the important take aways.   Guest: Travis Weiner, Public Defender, New Mexico   Resource: Google Drive with Relevant Documents  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NVuuL9L6BUH8xBggXKnUMvsqJvSygk38?usp=drive_link   Contact Hunter Parnell:      Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home **** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

    2h 12m
  5. 479 | What Data Tells Us About the Public Defender Well Being Crisis Part 2 w/Jenny Andrews, Matthew Thiese, and Sara McCarthy

    May 21

    479 | What Data Tells Us About the Public Defender Well Being Crisis Part 2 w/Jenny Andrews, Matthew Thiese, and Sara McCarthy

    Today, Hunter was joined once again by Jenny Andrews and for the first time Matthew Thiese and Sarah McCarthay. As was the case on Tuesday, this episode is a continued discussion about the National Public Defender Well-Being Study. This time, the focus is on the upcoming phase two that people can participate in starting June 1.       Guest:   Jenny Andrews, Director, Be Sustained   Matthew These Ph.D., Professor, Utah University School of Medicine   Sarah McCarthy, Chief Assistant Public Defender, Santa Clara, California   Resource:   Find Everything About the Study Here   https://besustained.org/   Contact Matthew Here   https://medicine.utah.edu/faculty/matthew-s-thiese   Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home **** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

    1h 2m
  6. 478 | The Effect of Public Defender and Support Staff Caseloads on Incarceration Outcomes for Felony Defendants w/Aaron Gottlieb and Melissa Mahabir

    May 20

    478 | The Effect of Public Defender and Support Staff Caseloads on Incarceration Outcomes for Felony Defendants w/Aaron Gottlieb and Melissa Mahabir

    Today, Hunter was joined by Aaron Gottlieb and Melissa Mahabir to discuss how excessive workloads drive worse outcomes for the people public defenders work for. Guest: Aaron Gottlieb, Associate Professor, University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice Melissa Mahabir, Social Worker and Former Mitigation Specialist Resource: Read the Article Here https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/712924 Contact Aaron Here https://crownschool.uchicago.edu/directory/aaron-gottlieb Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home *** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER***

    51 min
4.7
out of 5
98 Ratings

About

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.

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