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Public Defenseless: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Hunter Parnell
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.
Latest Episodes
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- Yesterday59 min
485 | Will Utah Force Homeless People to Move to a Camp Outside of Salt Lake City? w/Nate Crippes
Today, Hunter was joined by Nate Crippes of the Disability Law Center in Utah. Nate joined to discuss the proposed 1,300 bed homeless camp that might be built outside of Salt Lake City. Hunter and Nate discussed why this is happening, the danger it poses to the homeless community of Salt Lake City, and what Public Defenders can do to better represent those who are homeless or who have disabilities. Guest: Nate Crippes, Public Affairs Supervising Attorney, Disability Law Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Resource: DLC Website https://disabilitylawcenter.org/ Learn More About the Camp Here https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/09/03/utah-homeless-campus-site-unveiled-after-secretive-search/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/us/politics/utah-homeless-camp-stalls.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/us/politics/utah-trump-homeless-campus.html https://www.sltrib.com/news/2025/11/19/massive-slc-homeless-shelter-plan/ <p class="M
- 3 days ago57 min
484 | How the Hamilton County, Ohio Public Defenders are Holding Police and Prosecutors Accountable w/Angela Chang and Sean Vicente
Today, Hunter was joined by Angela Chang and Sean Vicente of the Hamilton County, Ohio Public Defender Office. They joined the show to explain how they, along with their community, are fighting to hold police and prosecutors accountable for their unethical and illegal actions. Guest: Angela Chang, Youth Defense Director, Hamilton County Public Defender, Ohio Sean Vicente, Municipal Director, Hamilton County Public Defender, Ohio Resource: Contact the PDs https://www.hamiltoncountypd.org/ https://www.instagram.com/hamcopubdef/ https://www.facebook.com/hamcopubdef/ Issues around policing/accountability and intersection with discovery/defense Overview of Cincinnati Collaborative Agreement https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/police/collaborative-agreement-refresh/ <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; tab-stops: l
- 1 weeks ago45 min
483 | How Progressive Politics can Abolish ICE and Build a More Humane Immigration System w/Senator Julie Gonzales
Today, Hunter was joined by Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales. Senator Gonzales was instrumental in shaping Colorado's progressive immigration policies. She is running against Senator John Hickenlooper in the Democratic primary for Colorado's Senate seat. Julie hopes that she will be able to bring her progressive politics to D.C. so she can challenge the status quo. Guest: Julie Gonzales, Colorado State Senator and Candidate for U.S. Senate Resource: Julie Gonzales Campaign Website: https://www.julieforcolorado.com/ Julie Gonzales on Socials: https://www.instagram.com/senadorajulie https://www.facebook.com/senadorajulie https://bsky.app/profile/senadorajulie.bsky.social https://x.com/SenadoraJulie Cato Institute Immigration Data: https://www.cato.org/immigration
- 1 weeks ago1h 3m
482 | What Does the Colorado Public Defender Get Wrong About Legal Ethics Related to Workload? w/Jim Castle
Today, Hunter was joined by long time criminal defense lawyer Jim Castle. Jim is here to help people understand the legal ethics related to workload limits and to explain where the Office of the State Public Defender gets these ethics wrong. Guest: Jim Castle, Criminal Defense Lawyer, Colorado Resource: Google Drive with Relevant Documents https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NVuuL9L6BUH8xBggXKnUMvsqJvSygk38?usp=drive_link Link to ABA Formal Opinion 06-441 https://www.in.gov/ccaa/files/ABA.Ethics06-441.pdf Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram <span lang="EN-GB" style= "f
- 1 weeks ago2h 11m
481 | Was a Former Colorado Public Defender Fired for Raising Concerns over his Workload? Part 2 w/Travis Weiner
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Travis Weiner, the former Colorado Public Defender who is suing the Colorado Public Defender System. On a previous episode, Travis detailed that he sued the state because he believed that OSPD retaliated against him for trying to do something about his unethical workloads. Today, Travis joins to discuss the most recent substantive hearing in his case to discuss the important take aways. Guest: Travis Weiner, Public Defender, New Mexico Resource: Google Drive with Relevant Documents https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NVuuL9L6BUH8xBggXKnUMvsqJvSygk38?usp=drive_link Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter <span lang="EN-GB" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-fami
- 1 weeks ago1h 30m
480 | Did the Colorado Public Defender Retaliate Against Me for My Speech on the Podcast?
Today, Hunter shared the results of unfair labor complaint against the Colorado State Public Defender system. Guest: Resource: Google Drive with Relevant Documents https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1poeBD8pjrxLaMDTaCgN1lX12n3NKE0h5?usp=drive_link Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-fami
- 2 weeks ago1h 1m
479 | What Data Tells Us About the Public Defender Well Being Crisis Part 2 w/Jenny Andrews, Matthew Thiese, and Sara McCarthy
Today, Hunter was joined once again by Jenny Andrews and for the first time Matthew Thiese and Sarah McCarthay. As was the case on Tuesday, this episode is a continued discussion about the National Public Defender Well-Being Study. This time, the focus is on the upcoming phase two that people can participate in starting June 1. Guest: Jenny Andrews, Director, Be Sustained Matthew These Ph.D., Professor, Utah University School of Medicine Sarah McCarthy, Chief Assistant Public Defender, Santa Clara, California Resource: Find Everything About the Study Here https://besustained.org/ Contact Matthew Here https://medicine.utah.edu/faculty/matthew-s-thiese <span lang="EN-GB" style= "font-
- 2 weeks ago51 min
478 | The Effect of Public Defender and Support Staff Caseloads on Incarceration Outcomes for Felony Defendants w/Aaron Gottlieb and Melissa Mahabir
Today, Hunter was joined by Aaron Gottlieb and Melissa Mahabir to discuss how excessive workloads drive worse outcomes for the people public defenders work for. Guest: Aaron Gottlieb, Associate Professor, University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice Melissa Mahabir, Social Worker and Former Mitigation Specialist Resource: Read the Article Here https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/712924 Contact Aaron Here https://crownschool.uchicago.edu/directory/aaron-gottlieb Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home *** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER***
About 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 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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