x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

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

government politics

All Episodes

01:09:09

316 | The Everyday Cruelty in Westminster Municipal...

Public Defenseless ·

2025/01/09

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. Guest Alison Gordon, Associate Attorney, McCabe Law Resources: 2017 ACLU Report on Colorado Municipal Courts https://www.aclu-co.org/sites/default/files/JUSTICE-DERAILED-web.pdf Contact Alison Alison@mccabe-law.net https://www.mccabe-law.net/ Contact Hunter

en

01:17:13

315 | How People Are Denied the Right to Counsel in...

Public Defenseless ·

2025/01/07

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 gives a general overview of problems in this courts and then dives into the outright denial of counsel happening in Grand Junction’s Municipal Court. Guest Tristan Gorman, Policy Director, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Rebecca Wallace, Policy Director, Colorado Freedom Fund Resources: 2017

en

01:15:22

314 | The Policies Making Colorado More "Tough on...

Public Defenseless ·

2025/01/02

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” direction. Through their work with their respective organizations, Rebecca and Tristan are intimately familiar with the conversations that the state legislature engage in around crime and the criminal legal system. Guest Tristan Gorman, Policy Director, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Rebecca Wallace, Policy

en

01:17:43

BONUS: Discussion/Debate w/a Former Cop about The...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/24

A Bonus Episode for everyone! On Monday, I had a discussion/debate with Daniel Carr, a former cop from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Today, we discussed/debated the use of force in the SrA Roger Fortson, the Execution of Marcellus Williams, and the citation issued to a homeless, pregnant woman in Louisville Kentucky Guest Daniel Carr, Police Law Newsletter Resources: Links to Daniel’s Work https://linktr.ee/policelawnews SrA Roger Fortson Case

en

20:50

2024 Wrap Up, Top 10 Episodes of 2024, and What is...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/23

Thank you to everyone who has made the show possible this year. Whether you are a listener, a subscriber, a guest, or a friend of the show, this show would not be possible without you! Thanks for another amazing year, and Hunter is looking forward to another incredible year in 2025. *NO EPISODES THIS THURSDAY OR NEXT TUESDAY* Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast

en

01:10:04

313 | How Marsy's Law is Undermining the Criminal...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/19

Today, Hunter is joined by professor Ráchael Powers to discuss Marsy’s Law. For those unfamiliar, Marsy’s Law is one of many types of Victim’s Bill of Rights law that exist around the country. These laws are designed to give victims of crime more rights in the criminal legal system. The only problem? They often directly conflict with the rights of the accused. Today, Ráchael joins us to talk about a report she published for the NACDL about the dangers of Marsy’s Law. Guests: Ráchael Powers

en

01:07:11

312 | How to Create More Opportunities to Fight the...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/17

Today, Hunter is joined once again by Eric Fish and Chesa Boudin. This time, Eric and Chesa join the show to discuss a recent law review article they published discussing ways to strengthen pre-trial adjudication. As discussed at length on the show, our criminal legal system has killed the jury trial. As a result, opportunities to bring injustices, misconduct, and corruption to light have faded away. Chesa and Eric’s law review article attempts to point out places around the country that have

en

01:13:57

311 | How the Supreme Court has Injected Chaos and...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/12

Today, Hunter is joined by Professor Jacob Charles to discuss the Second Amendment. Since D.C. v Heller in 2008, the Second Amendment transformed from nearly dead letter law to one of the most rapidly changing areas of the Constitution. Jake joins the show to detail that transformation and explain the impacts it is having on our legal system. Guests: Jacob Charles, Professor of Law, Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law Resources: Contact Jake

en

01:09:56

310 | How the Junk Science Shaken Baby Syndrome...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/11

Today, Hunter is joined by Dr. Julie Mack and Randy Papetti to discuss Shaken Baby Syndrome. Also known as Abusive Head Trauma, Shaken Baby Syndrome started out as an untested hypothesis meant to help parents keep their children safe. However, police and prosecutors quickly realized the power SBS had to secure convictions. Since then, dozens of people’s convictions have been overturned as courts around the country realize that SBS is an unfounded, junk science that does not belong in the criminal

en

01:09:39

309 | The Problems and Promise of Public Defense in...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/10

Today, Hunter is joined by Rob Perkins and Dan Eichinger to discuss Public Defense in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. If you’ve listened to the show long enough, then you know that Pennsylvania was one of the last states to provide any funding for Public Defense. While the $7.5 million allocated to support Public Defense is welcome, it is insufficient to account for the decades of underfunding/understaffing in places like Allegheny County. Yet, Dan and Rob believe that with the help of new county

en

01:06:05

308 | How the Fear of Too Much Justice Keeps Our...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/05

Today, Hunter is joined by Professor Stephen Bright to discuss his new book, the Fear of Too Much Justice. Over decades of work as an attorney, Steve has been a leading voice against the death penalty and in support of major overhauls to our criminal legal system. Today, Steve joins the show to discuss how the Fear of Too Much Justice is stopping people from reforming our criminal legal system. Guests: Stephen Bright, Professor of Law, Yale University School of Law Resources: Stephen

en

43:39

307 | Why Are Prisoners at Virginia's Red Onion...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/04

Today, Hunter is joined the Editor of the Virginia Defender Newspaper, Phil Wilayto to try and understand a simple question: Why are people incarcerated at Virginia’s Red Onion State Super Max Prison self-immolating just to get transferred to a new prison? Guests: Phil Wilayto, Editor, Virginia Defender Newspaper Resources: On Saturday, Dec. 7, the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality will hold a public meeting titled “Crisis at Red Onion Supermax: How you can help!” The

en

01:08:09

306 | Why it's Nearly Impossible to Hold the...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/12/03

Today, Hunter is joined by Professor Joanna Schwartz to discuss Civil Rights Litigation. Like they did for the rights of criminal defendants, the conservative legal movement has slowly chipped away at Civil Rights protections under Section 1983. Today, Joanna joins to talk about the many ways it is nearly impossible for a person to get a remedy after the government violates their civil rights. Guests: Joanna Schwartz, Professor of Law, UCLA Resources: Follow Joanna on Twitter

en

01:13:46

305 | How Prosecutors Might get Rewarded for Messing...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/11/27

Today, Hunter is joined by Amanda Jack of the New York Legal Aid Society. Today, Amanda and Hunter are discussing the Harvey Weinstein trial. Specifically, they are discussing why the conviction was overturned, why the New York legislature is trying to change the rules of evidence, and why it’s a terrible idea for them to do it. Guests: Amanda Jack, Policy Director Criminal Practice, NY Legal Aid Society Resources: Follow Amanda on Twitter https://x.com/brooklynpd Federal Rule of Evidence

en

58:58

304 | One Step Forward and Two Steps Back Mississippi...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/11/26

Today, Hunter is joined once again by Andre de Gruy, Chief Public Defender of Mississippi. The last time Andre was on the show, he and Hunter discussed some positive changes he was hoping to get out of the 2024 legislative session. While not everything from the last episode came to pass, Andre believes Mississippi public defense is ever so slowly improving. Guests: Andre de Gruy, State Public Defender, Mississippi Resources: OSPD Website https://www.ospd.ms.gov/ Marshall Project

en

01:03:31

303 | How A.I. Can Help Public Defenders Challenge...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/11/21

Today, Hunter is joined be the Co-Founder of Reduct, Prabhas Pokharel. Building from Tuesday’s conversation about tech, AI, and Public Defense, Hunter and Prabhas explore the ways AI and Reduct can help Public Defenders take on Police and Prosecutors. Guests: Prabhas Pokharel, Co-Founder, Reduct Resources: Reduct Website, Socials, and Contact https://reduct.video/ https://x.com/ReductVideo prabhas@reduct.video Standford Legal AI Study

en

01:19:13

302 | How A.I. is Helping Police and Prosecutors...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/11/20

Today, Hunter is joined once again by Professor Andrew Ferguson. Last time Andrew was on the show, he and Hunter discussed the state of the 4th Amendment in the digital era. This time, Hunter and Andrew dive into three law review articles Andrew has recently published. The first discussed a new framework for analyzing the 4th Amendment. The second and third articles are all about new, dangerous was police and prosecutors are relying on AI. Guests: Andrew Ferguson, Professor of Law, American

en

01:03:23

301 | How A.I. Can Help Public Defenders Challenge...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/11/19

Today, Hunter is joined by IV Ashton, Founder and President of Legal Server, to discuss how a quality case management system and powerful AI tools can help Public Defenders pose more systemic challenges to police and prosecutors Guests: IV Ashton, President and Founder, Legal Server Resources: Legal Server Website https://www.legalserver.org/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast

en

01:02:06

300 | How Mitigation is Helping Veterans Escape the...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/11/14

Today, Hunter is joined by Nancy Farrell and Dee Miller of the New York Vet Defense Program. Previously on the show, Hunter and other guests have described the power of veteran and other treatment courts. However, we have often lamented at the limited scope that this courts offer veterans who need help but just not drug or alcohol treatment. With this program, Nancy and Dee offer veterans the culturally competent mitigation and service connection that helps Vets escape the criminal legal system.

en

37:51

299 | How NAPD is Fostering a National Forum for...

Public Defenseless ·

2024/11/13

Today, Hunter is joined once again by NAPD’s Jeff Sherr. This time, they sat down to discuss NAPD’s new Change Maker Forum, what Hunter learned from attending, and how NAPD hopes to use it to spark new, impactful changes in Public Defense. Guests: Jeff Sherr, Director of Training, National Association of Public Defense Resources: NAPD Changemaker Forum 2025 https://publicdefenders.us/event/the-changemakers-forum-napd-strategic-exchange-3/ Notes from 2024

en

206 results

Similar Podcasts

The Fly

Georgetown"s Institute of Politics and...

THE CONSTITUTION STUDY

Paul Engel

The DSR Daily

The DSR Network

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

Fora do Baralho

Rádio Observador