250 episodes
Public Defenseless Hunter Parnell
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- Government
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4.9 • 68 Ratings
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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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243 | Duci Goncalves and Lael Chester: How Massachusetts is Re-imaging how the Criminal Legal System Treats Emerging Adults
Today, Hunter sat down with Duci Goncalves and Lael Chester to discuss how Massachusetts has started to reimagine how the criminal legal system treats emerging adults. As most of us remember, we didn’t always make the best choices as children, and that questionable decision making didn’t just improve the moment we turned 18. Yet in the criminal legal system, 18 is treated as a magic number where suddenly we assume you are a fully developed adult. With new brain science, we understand that 18 is not some magic number, and those between the ages of 18-25 still have a developing brain. To adhere to our understanding of modern brain science, Massachusetts is setting out on a new path to how the legal system handles emerging adult offenders.
Guests:
Duci Goncalves, Deputy Chief Counsel, Youth Advocacy Division, Committee For Public Counsel Services, Massachusetts
Lael Chester, Director, Emerging Adult Justice Project, Columbia University Justice Lab
Resources:
Lael’s Faculty Page
https://justicelab.columbia.edu/people/lael-chester
Massachusetts Changes LWOP for Emerging Adults
https://www.bostonpoliticalreview.org/post/mass-supreme-court-raises-life-without-parole-sentencing-from-18-to-21#:~:text=January%2015%2C%202024%2C%20marked%20a,sent%20waves%20throughout%20the%20nation.
Commonwealth v Robinson
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ma-supreme-judicial-court/115703587.html
Commonwealth v Mattis
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ma-supreme-judicial-court/115703895.html
Emerging Adult Innovation with CPCS
a) Website page on the national EAJ Developmental Framework project: https://www.eajustice.org/ea-developmental-framework
b) Announcement of the launch of the project: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c6458c07788975dfd586d90/t/642b478230438b045ee02455/1680557954756/Columbia+Justice+Lab+Announcement+of+EAJ+Innovation+Sites+3.31.23.pdf
c) JJIE article: https://jjie.org/2023/05/11/1442839/
Emerging Adult Information
https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2021/07/22/reimagine-juvenile-justice-emerging-adults-gen-z/ideas/essay/
Raise the Age Campaign
https://www.raisetheagema.org/
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
Instagram
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter
@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com
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www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
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*Any Comments made by Myself are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the views of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender* -
242 | Eve Primus: The Hollowing Out of Miranda Rights, and What we Can Do About it
Today, Hunter is joined once again by University of Michigan Professor of Law Eve Primus. So far, Eve and Hunter have discussed Public Defender Systems, Structures, and how Law Schools can do better at getting students interested in Public Defense. However, today’s conversation is focused on her upcoming law review article about how courts around the country have eroded the famous Miranda warnings and what we can do about it.
Guests:
Eve Primus, Professor of Law, University of Michigan
Resources:
The State[s] of Confession Law in a Post-Miranda World: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4742148
The Future of Confession Law: Toward Rules for the Voluntariness Test: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2540302
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
Instagram
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter
@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com
Subscribe to the Patron
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
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*Any Comments made by Myself are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the views of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender* -
241 | Lucian Dervan: Why do Innocent People Plead Guilty, and What Does it Mean for Our Plea Bargaining System
Today, Hunter is joined Lucian Dervan, Professor of Law and Director of Criminal Justice Studies at Belmont College and Founding Director of the Plea Bargaining Institute. For more than a decade, Lucian has been at the forefront of uncovering the troubling issues with America’s plea deal driven criminal legal system. Lucian founded the Plea Bargaining Institute in order to bring together the latest and greatest research and caselaw on plea bargaining to help people challenge our plea bargaining system.
Guests:
Lucian Dervan, Professor of Law and Director of Criminal Justice Studies, Belmont College of Law, Founding Director of the Plea Bargaining Institute
Resources:
Plea Bargaining Institute
https://pleabargaininginstitute.com/
Brady v US
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/397/742/
Lucian’s Faculty Page
https://www.belmont.edu/profiles/lucian-dervan/
14 Principles of Plea Bargaining
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/criminal_justice/publications/criminal-justice-magazine/2024/winter/fourteen-principles-path-forward-plea-bargaining-reform/
Plea Bargaining Study
https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=jclc
Follow Lucian
https://x.com/luciandervan?lang=en
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
Instagram
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter
@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com
Subscribe to the Patron
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
*Any Comments made by Myself are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the views of the Colorao Office of the State Public Defender* -
240 | Adrienne Johnson: Can Gwinnett County Muster the Political Will to Solve their Public Defender Problems
Today, Hunter is joined by another amazing guest from the Wren Collective, Adrienne Johnson. Today’s conversation is about their report on Public Defense in Gwinnet County, Georgia. While there is a state wide Public Defender in Georgia, Gwinnet County has been able to maintain its independence from the state system. If Public Defender’s in Gwinnett County want to maintain that independence, it is essential that they address some of the glaring problems in Public Defense that this report exposed.
Guests:
Adrienne Johnson, Senior Counsel, Wren Collective
Resources:
Read the Report Here
https://www.wrencollective.org/_files/ugd/8fe8f0_ff1ad77fe24b47db9bb6fef98d6aad47.pdf
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
Instagram
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter
@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com
Subscribe to the Patron
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
*Any Comments made by Myself are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the views of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender* -
239 | Elisabeth Pollock and Devshi Mehrotra: How the Champaign IL Public Defenders used A.I. to Revive their Office
Today, Hunter is joined once again by Justice Text Co-Founder Devshi Mehrotra to discuss how Justice Text is helping Public Defender Office’s enter the digital era. This time, Devshi brought Elisabeth Pollock, Chief of the Champaign IL Public Defender Office, to talk about the serious digital overhaul Elisabeth undertook once she took charge of the office. Coming from the federal system, Elisabeth was used to a fully digital system, so it came as quiet a shock when Elisabeth realized that her new office in Champaign County was a completely paper-based system. Thankfully with the help of Justice Text, Elisabeth was able to quickly digitize the office and finally start analysing the countless hours of body camera generated by their cases.
Guests:
Elisabeth Pollock, Chief Public Defender, Champaign County, Illinois
Devshi Mehrotra, Co-Founder, Justice Text
Resources:
Justice Text
https://justicetext.com/
Chicago Appleseed Fair Trial
https://www.chicagoappleseed.org/
Elisabeth Contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-pollock-38377110/
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
Instagram
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter
@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com
Subscribe to the Patron
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
*Any Comments made by Myself are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the views of the Colorao Office of the State Public Defender* -
238 | Patricia Warth: The Budget Moves Threatening Vital New York Public Defender Services
Today, Hunter is joined once again by Patricia Warth, Director of the NY Office of Indigent Legal Services. This time, Hunter and Patricia discuss the in the weeds budget moves that are threatening vital programs in New York Public Defense. Specifically, they talk about the failing family court system and how a sweep up of funds may endanger an already struggling practice.
Guests:
Patricia Warth, Director, New York Office of Indigent Legal Services
Resources:
Coverage of the Fund Sweep Up
https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2024/03/22/legal-advocates-oppose-234m-funding-cut-from-public-defense/
https://www.nylpi.org/resource/ilsf-sweep-organization-sign-on-letter-3-21-24/
https://nysba.org/nysba-supports-funding-of-the-indigent-legal-services-fund/
ILS Website
https://www.ils.ny.gov/node/7/ils-office
Email Patricia
Patricia.Warth@ils.ny.gov
Contact Hunter Parnell:
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com
Instagram
@PublicDefenselessPodcast
Twitter
@PDefenselessPod
www.publicdefenseless.com
Subscribe to the Patron
www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast
Donate on PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ
Donate on Stripe
https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN
Customer Reviews
Lawyer Hanlon
Required listening for anyone interested in America’s criminal processing system.
Elizabeth Cadiz - Chief Public Defender (Aurora, Colorado)
Hunter- thank you for this amazing source of inspiration, creativity, and community. You are so important.
Important!
If you support the Death Penalty, believe that the US justice system is largely fair, and think that stories of failings are scant exceptions to the rule, this should be your next podcast to listen to. Example after example of the capriciousness of US crime law is presented. Powerful! and Needed. Listening feels like having a backstage pass to monumental court proceedings. Thank you! Highly recommend.