Public Defenseless

213: How Anecdotes and Fear are Driving Maryland to Undo the Juvenile Justice Reform Act w/Natasha Dartigue and Alycia Capozello

Feb 29, 2024

After being rated as one of the worst places in the country for their youth legal system, Maryland law makers decided to implement an overhaul of said system. After two years of study and advocacy, the state was guilted into action. Now, after less than 18 months in effect, police and prosecutors have convinced law...

212: How Three L.A. Public Defenders Hope to Change the Legal System by Becoming Judges w/Ericka Wiley, George Turner, and Kim Repecka

Feb 28, 2024

If you’ve listened to the show long enough, then you know Hunter has consistently advocated for more public defenders to become judges. With their insight into the legal system, communities can stand to gain so much by having a bench with more diverse job experience. Today, Hunter is joined by three L.A. public...

211: The Danger Imperative: Violence, Death, and the Soul of Policing w/Michael Sierra-Arévalo

Feb 27, 2024

Why is it that even the most well intentioned, well thought out reforms for policing fail? At the heart of policing is a culture that teaches police to see threats around every corner. Today, Hunter sat down with sociology professor, Michael Sierra-Arévalo, to discuss his newest book The Danger Imperative:...

210: The Copaganda Fueling the Retail Theft Crisis that Never Was w/Brad Haywood

Feb 22, 2024

Today, Hunter is once again joined by Arlington, VA Chief Public Defender Brad Haywood. This time, Brad joins the show to dig into the ways copaganda has negatively impacted criminal legal reforms in Virginia. Specifically, we discuss the ways false media outrage about organized retail theft and the century old war on...

209: Sometimes to Fix a Public Defender System, You have to be Willing to Let it Fail w/James McDermott and Paul Chambers

Feb 20, 2024

Today, Hunter is once again joined by James McDermott and Paul Chambers from the Far West Texas Regional Public Defender Office. This time, James and Paul are discussing how they utilized the new National Workload study to double their attorney staff. While the use of data was extremely important into winning over...