Public Defenseless

Since the release of the National Public Defender Workload Study, Malia Brink travelled the country helping Public Defenders create and implement workload standards. Now, she joins the show to discuss the new tool the Deason Center created to help Public Defenders create their own workload standards.
 
Guest:
Malia Brink, Policy Director, Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center, Southern Methodist University
 
Resource:
Deason Center Website
https://www.smu.edu/law/centers-and-initiatives/deason-center
Access the Workload Tool Here
https://www.smu.edu/law/centers-and-initiatives/deason-center/work/news/articles/2026-7-28-workload-release
 
Contact Hunter Parnell:     
Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 
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@PublicDefenselessPodcast
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www.publicdefenseless.com 
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Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!
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**** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****

In the last budget cycle, Keisha Hudson, Chief Defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, asked the city for $5 million. Instead, the city council and the mayor gave her office $0. Now, Keisha is looking at cutting back client services and even potentially refusing to accept new DUI and drug possession cases. On this episode, you will hear Keisha explain how this all happened and what comes next for the office.
 
Guest:
Keisha Hudson, Chief Public Defender, Defender Association of Philadelphia
 
Resource:
Defender Association of Philadelphia's Contact
https://phillydefenders.org/
https://www.facebook.com/phillydefenders/
https://www.instagram.com/phillydefenders/
https://x.com/phillydefenders/
 
 
 
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****

The State of Alabama sentenced Robin "Rocky" Myers to death after he was convicted of murder in 1994. Over the next 30 years, Rocky fought to prove his innocence, and with each passing year, the evidence of his innocence continued to grow. There was a lack of DNA evidence. Inconsistent witness testimony. Police and Prosecutorial misconduct. On top of all that, there were serious problems with the verdict itself. Taken together, these factors pushed Governor Kay Ivey to commute Rocky's death sentence. Yet, Rocky is still serving a life sentence. Now, our guest, Leah Nelson, is here to present evidence that Rocky's trial lawyer might have been in the Ku Klux Klan.
 
Guest:
Leah Nelson, Special Investigator, Alabama
 
Resource:
Justice 4 Rocky Website
https://www.justice4rockymyers.com/
Undisclosed Podcast
https://www.undisclosedpod.com/seasons-cases/rockymyers
https://open.spotify.com/episode/40VBEwOtdaO6suwPRx8SLa
 
 
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****

Hunter is joined once again by Professor Valena Beety. Valena joins the show to discuss her new book, Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity. In it, she discusses the cognitive biases, junk sciences, and the systemic policies used to surveil, police, and incarcerate women and queer communities.
 
Guest:
Valena Beety, Professor of Law, Indiana School of Law
 
Resource:
Pick up a Copy of the Book Here
https://thenewpress.org/books/pink-crime/
 
Contact Valena
https://www.linkedin.com/in/valenabeety/
https://law.indiana.edu/about/people/details?name=beety-valena
https://valenabeetyjd.com/
 
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****

Hunter is joined once again by Professor Lisa Waters to discuss her law review article, Automating Junk Science. In it, Lisa details a troubling trend where police officers are using automated technology to "verify" that gun matches a bullet found at the scene of a crime. The only problem? The underlying tool mark science is complete junk. How can defenders respond to this automation of Junk Science? Lisa offers a few insights.
 
 
Guest:
Lisa Waters, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law, New York
 
Resource:
Read the Article Here
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5440637
Contact Lisa Here
https://www.law.cuny.edu/faculty-profile/lisa-waters/#profile
 
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****