266 episodes
Public Defenseless Hunter Parnell
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- Government
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4.9 • 69 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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259 | How the Threat of a Strike got Minnesota's Public Defenders a 25% Raise w/Bob Kolstad and Veronica Surges
Today, Hunter spoke once again w/Bob Kolstad and for the first time Veronica Surges. Both are public defenders in the state of Minnesota, and they joined the show to discuss how the organized a strike authorization and how that threat of a strike helped them secure the largest pay raises in the history of Minnesota Public Defense.
Guests:
Bob Kolstad, Public Defender, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Veronica Surges, Public Defender, 6th District, Minnesota
Resources:
Contact Bob
bob@robertkolstad.com
Read About the Strike Threat and It’s Results
https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/07/11/minnesota-public-defenders-to-get-as-much-as-66000-raises-under-tentative-agreement/#:~:text=The%20salary%20of%20a%20first,state%20Board%20of%20Public%20Defense.
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
*As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender* -
258 | What Actually Happened to Minnesota's Legal and Public Defender System After the Murder of George Floyd w/Bill Ward
Today, Hunter kicks off a week about Public Defense in Minnesota by speaking with the Chief Public Defender of the State, Bill Ward. Throughout this episode, Bill and Hunter discuss workloads, workload refusal, the recent budgetary victories he’s helped secure, and what is needed to ensure Public Defenders in Minnesota are not drowning in cases.
Guests:
Bill Ward, Chief Public Defender, Minnesota
Resources:
Minnesota Public Defender Website
https://www.pubdef.state.mn.us/
Minnesota Public Defender Twitter
https://x.com/mnbdpubdefense
Bill Ward Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-ward-a0aa4024/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pubdef.state.mn.us%2F
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
*As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender* -
257 | If Another Person Confesses to a Crime, Why Can't Jurors Hear that Evidence? w/Sharon Turlington
Today, Hunter is joined by long time Capital Defender, Sharon Turlington. Today, the two discuss cases that bookended Sharon’s career in Missouri. Both cases involved an in the weeds evidentiary rule that prohibits testimony that points to the guilt of a person who is not on trial. In one of her earliest cases, this rule kept the jury from hearing that a third party ADMITTED TO COMMITING THE CRIME IN QUESITON. In her last case, it kept the jury from hearing that FIVE people pointed to another person who had far more evidence pointing his direction. Together with the episodes from the past two days, this episode highlights the many ways the deck is stacked against criminal defendants.
Guests:
Sharon Turlington, Long Time Capital Public Defender, Missouri
Resources:
The Cases
State v Malik Nettles ED74494 (1999)
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/mo-court-of-appeals/1163320.html
State v Kylr Yust WD84633 (2023)
https://law.justia.com/cases/missouri/court-of-appeals/2023/wd84633.html
Contact Sharon
sharonturlington@icloud.com
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
*As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender* -
256 | The Fight to Free a Man Convicted Because of One Cop's Perjury w/Jason Gain
Today, Hunter is joined by Jason Gain, a West Virginia Post Conviction defense attorney. On this episode, the two continue the miniseries covering the dangers of convictions secured through uncorroborated evidence. This time, we discuss the recent victory that Jason secured for his client, Lamont Dees. After more than five years of incarceration, Mr. Dees was freed because his conviction was secured thanks to the help of one cop’s perjury, his attorneys ineffective assistance of counsel, and the willingness of prosecutors to pursue cases based on uncorroborated witness statements. As is so often the case, compare how easy it is to put an innocent person away and how difficult it is to free an innocent person.
Guests:
Jason Gain, Post Conviction Defense Attorney, West Virginia
Resources:
Read About Mr. Dees story
https://www.loshmountainlegal.com/post/dees-freed-habeas-win-in-west-virginia
Contact Jason
https://www.loshmountainlegal.com/contact
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
*As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender* -
255 | The Dangers of a Conviction Based on the Testimony of One Person w/Eric Tindal
Today, Hunter is joined by Eric Tindal, a criminal defense attorney in Iowa. Today’s discussion focuses on the question, how much evidence does it take to convict someone. Specifically, Hunter and Eric discussed how a single uncorroborated testimony can be sufficient to secure a conviction. This episode kicks off a miniseries comparing what evidence is perfectly fine for prosecutors to rely on and what evidence is barred from even being heard when the defense wants to use it.
Guests:
Eric Tindal, Criminal Defense Attorney, Iowa
Resources:
Email Eric
eric@keeganlegal.com
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
*As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender* -
254 | The Former Bronx Defender Campaigning to Bring Holistic Defense to Florida's 9th Judicial Circuit w/Lenora Easter
Today, Hunter is joined by Lenora Easter, a candidate for the Public Defender position in Orange and Osceola Counties. As a former Bronx Defender and member of Partners for Justice, Lenora understands the importance of a holistic defense practice. In her adopted home of Orange and Osceola Counties, Lenora sees an absence of that holistic practice and a loud voice in the community as a short coming of the current Public Defender practice. By becoming the elected Public Defender for the circuit, Lenora hopes to inject Public Defense with a fresh slate of ideas, programs, and energy needed to revitalize Public Defense.
Guests:
Lenora Easter, Candidate for Public Defender of the 9th Judicial District, Orange and Osceola County, FL
Resources:
Lenora Easter Website
https://www.lenoraeaster.com/
Lenora Easter Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/lenoraeasterforpublicdefender/
Register to Vote Florida
https://registertovoteflorida.gov/home
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
*As a reminder, any statements made on the show do not reflect the views or policies of the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender*
Customer Reviews
Thank you
I am a chief public defender and this podcast has been extremely helpful to me. Well done
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.