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Artwork for Public Defenseless

Public Defenseless

Hunter Parnell
Criminal Justice System
Public Defense
Criminal Justice Reform
Public Defenders
Death Penalty
Mass Incarceration
Mental Health
California
Indigent Defense
Solitary Confinement
Immigration Law
Plea Bargaining
Gideon V. Wainwright
Wrongful Conviction
Incarceration
Colorado
Legislation
Participatory Defense
Artificial Intelligence
National Workload Study

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 acr... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes509Founded5 years ago
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Artwork for Public Defenseless

Latest Episodes

Today, Hunter was joined by Alena Chulick, the Co-Founder and Project Manager of Project Rehabilitate out of the Allegheny County Public Defender. Thanks to a federal grant, Project Rehabilitate has been able to keep people out of custody and kept th... more

Today, Hunter was joined by Ann Miller, Susette Billedeaux, and Josh Cahoon from the Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. They joined the show to the tell the history of this office and how they've built it into a m... more

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Professor Shira Diner. Last time she was on the show, she explained why the bar advocates in Massachusetts stopped accepting new cases. This time, she joins to explain how the Legislature and Judiciary responded... more

Today, Hunter was joined by Damon Silver Chief Defender of the Santa Clara County Public Defender. Home to Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County is struggling with a large budget deficit due to federal budget cuts. As such, the Public Defender Office ha... more

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Recent Guests

Colin Charbonneau
Director, Spokane County Public Defenders Office
Spokane County Public Defenders Office
Episode: 494 | Why did the Spokane County Public Defenders Sue the County Over New Workload Requirements? w/Colin Charbonneau and Victoria Blumhorst
Victoria Blumhorst
Director, Council for Defense in Spokane
Council for Defense (Spokane)
Episode: 494 | Why did the Spokane County Public Defenders Sue the County Over New Workload Requirements? w/Colin Charbonneau and Victoria Blumhorst
Shannon Wilson
Executive Director of the Public Defender of Marion County Inc.
Public Defender of Marion County
Episode: 493 | Two Oregon Public Defenders Sued the Oregon Public Defense Commission and Won. Now What? w/Shannon Wilson and Stacey Lowe
Nia Holston
Staff Attorney at the Abolitionist Law Center
Abolitionist Law Center
Episode: 492 | How Will Pennsylvania Respond to its Supreme Court Striking Down Mandatory LWOP for Felony Murder Convictions? w/Nia Holston and Sean Damon
Sean Damon
Director of Strategic Partnerships at Straight-Ahead
Straight-Ahead / Abolitionist Law Center
Episode: 492 | How Will Pennsylvania Respond to its Supreme Court Striking Down Mandatory LWOP for Felony Murder Convictions? w/Nia Holston and Sean Damon
Deborah Lolai
Professor and public defender turned academic; Harvard Law School LGBTQ Advocacy Clinic; forthcoming Fordham Law LGBTQ Litigation Clinic
Harvard Law School; Fordham Law School
Episode: 491 | The Hidden Punishments in Pre-Trial Detention That Disproportionately Impact LGBTQ People w/Deborah Lolai
Carson White
Supervising attorney at Civil Rights Corps
Civil Rights Corps
Episode: 490 | How the Civil Rights Corps Secured a Massive Victory in the Fight Against Cash Bail w/Salil Dudani and Carson White
Salil Dudani
Senior attorney at Civil Rights Corps
Civil Rights Corps
Episode: 490 | How the Civil Rights Corps Secured a Massive Victory in the Fight Against Cash Bail w/Salil Dudani and Carson White
John Haried
Former Director of Electronic Litigation, Department of Justice
Department of Justice
Episode: 489 | Why did a 35 Year Career Prosecutor Walk Away from the DOJ Under the Second Trump Administration? w/John Haried

Host

Hunter Parnell
Host of Public Defenseless

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 198 ratings
  • Great coverage of an important issue

    I’m a California law student interested in working in the criminal justice system, unsure on which side but learning about and listening to various public defender issues is really eye opening. Hunter does a great job with all of his interviews.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Person24
    United States2 months ago
  • Well, worth giving it a listen

    As a choir member“ I often very much enjoy the topics of discussion and it is almost always delivered with good preaching and that’s just what you need in times like these when you know that the choir are the only people who you’re going to convince to sing.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    iPaul-Pro
    United States4 months ago
  • Great show.

    Keep it up.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    PJ Barker
    United States9 months ago
  • Exposes Criminal Abuses

    Public Defenseless details how the presumption of innocence is fiction in courtrooms across the country.

    While we supposedly have the right to a trial by a jury of our peers, defendants who are largely Black and Latino men, are compelled to take pleas or face lengthy, painful incarceration.

    The American justice system as revealed by Public Defenseless is so deeply broken and must be reformed.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    rachelm1972
    United Statesa year ago
  • Shedding Light Where It Needs to Be Shed

    As a former Colorado public defender (and still indigent criminal defense attorney), I’m biased in favor of the excellent coverage of issues in Colorado, including the crisis in our state public defender system and the horrors unfolding in municipal courts.

    But I also love every episode from elsewhere in the country. It’s so easy for us to be in our silos and forget that there are hundreds of other offices out there facing similar challenges and coming up with innovative solutions. This podcast... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    drewmm10
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate courageous conversations about systemic flaws and potential fixes.
High-caliber guests and rigorous analysis on defense work and policy.
Episodes spark important conversations about workload, morale, and justice reform.
Thoughtful, reform-minded discussions with practical takeaways.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#103
United States/Government
Apple Podcasts
#191
Germany/Government
Apple Podcasts
#205
India/Government

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

492 | How Will Pennsylvania Respond to its Supreme Court Striking Down Mandatory LWOP for Felony Murder Convictions? w/Nia Holston and Sean Damon
Q: What are the potential next steps following the 120-day deadline set by the court for the General Assembly to act?
The General Assembly, potentially with the governor's support, is expected to craft legislation that makes parole possible or broadens review, with the chance of retroactive relief for those already sentenced, though the political dynamics and stakeholder interests complicate passage.
492 | How Will Pennsylvania Respond to its Supreme Court Striking Down Mandatory LWOP for Felony Murder Convictions? w/Nia Holston and Sean Damon
Q: What is the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's core ruling regarding the state constitution, and how does it differ from the federal Eighth Amendment approach?
The PA Supreme Court found that the mandatory nature of the sentence, without an opportunity to assess culpability under the PA Constitution, is unconstitutional, even if the U.S. Constitution might permit similar outcomes in some contexts; they treated the PA Constitution as potentially providing broader protections.
492 | How Will Pennsylvania Respond to its Supreme Court Striking Down Mandatory LWOP for Felony Murder Convictions? w/Nia Holston and Sean Damon
Q: Could you briefly describe the felony murder framework in Pennsylvania and why it leads to harsh, mandatory sentencing?
Felony murder can convict someone who was involved in a felony that results in someone's death, even without intent to kill; the law ties criminal liability to the underlying felony, and Pennsylvania law makes life without parole mandatory in these cases, leaving no room for considering individual culpability.
494 | Why did the Spokane County Public Defenders Sue the County Over New Workload Requirements? w/Colin Charbonneau and Victoria Blumhorst
Q: What can other public defenders in Washington learn from your experience?
Other offices should document workloads, advocate for explicit ethical obligations tied to staffing, push for data-driven caseload standards, engage with legislative and judicial bodies early, and build coalitions to demand fair funding and resources before crises erupt.
494 | Why did the Spokane County Public Defenders Sue the County Over New Workload Requirements? w/Colin Charbonneau and Victoria Blumhorst
Q: What could policymakers do to remedy this issue at a state level?
Policy makers should ensure sustainable funding for public defense, align budgets with workload demands, support independent case-weighting systems, and treat public defense as essential to justice by matching investments in police, courts, and corrections to avoid ethical and constitutional breaches.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Public Defenseless

What is Public Defenseless about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Public Defenseless covers the intersection of public defense, labor dynamics, and criminal justice reform through in-depth interviews with defense attorneys, researchers, union organizers, and policy advocates. Recent episodes consistently center on workload, wellbeing, caseload transparency, debt relief, and systemic reform, often pairing frontline defender perspectives with data-driven analysis and political context. A standout pattern is the willingness to tackle tough topics—retaliation within offices, unionization, and ambitious state-level reforms—using personal stories, investigative context, and practical policy ideas to illuminate what change could look like in practice. This mix of on-the-ground experience, rigorous discussion of ... more

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1. Paper Trail
2. 5-4
3. Embedded
4. First America
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How many episodes of Public Defenseless are there?

Public Defenseless launched 5 years ago and published 509 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Public Defenseless?

Recent guests on Public Defenseless include:

1. Colin Charbonneau
2. Victoria Blumhorst
3. Shannon Wilson
4. Nia Holston
5. Sean Damon
6. Deborah Lolai
7. Carson White
8. Salil Dudani

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