Public Defenseless 20: Representing Mothers in Tulsa, Oklahoma with Aisha McWeay
Aisha McWeay is a former public defender and the Executive Director of Still She Rises, the first holistic defense office in the country dedicated exclusively to the representation of mothers in both the criminal and civil legal systems.
Today's episode brings to light the unique challenges that mothers face as they navigate the complicated legal world they face in the greater Tulsa community.
Still She Rises stands out as an organization that seeks to use the skills of a broad team of attorneys, social workers, client advocates, and community resources specialists to get the needs of each of their clients met.
While Aisha and her team take this holistic approach to reach the best possible outcomes for their clients, Aisha and I discussed the many shortfalls that Public Defense in Oklahoma faces because of decades of underfunding.
Of all the takeaways from this episode, Aisha I think best lays out just what holistic defense looks like in practice, and acts as an example to those that think progress cannot happen in a place like Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Note: This episode was recorded on March 17th 2022
Key Topics and Takeaways:
- How Aisha got into public defense and the role she is in now. [7:28]
- The legal world's perception of public defense. [14:50]
- The unique needs of women who go through the legal system. [20:53]
- What public defense looks like in Oklahoma. [25:48]
- What a holistic defense model looks like. [39:11]
- How Aisha helps her clients with children. [49:28]
- The art of storytelling. [53:00]
- Where Aisha wants public defense in Oklahoma to head. [58:37]
Guest:
Aisha McWeay, Executive Director of Still She Rises
Resources:
George Kaiser Family Foundation
Memorable Quotes:
"That got me to be so interested in interning with the public defender's office, and quite frankly, I fell in love with the work. I fell in love with representing clients. I fell in love with trying to use my skills to help humanize and tell the client's story." (8:47, Aisha)
"As a whole, particularly in America, public interest-driven law is the minority." (17:10), Aisha)
"There's so many things that happen that aren't criminal, that are impacting the lives that then get people to criminal." (25:24, Hunter)
"When someone is arrested, they should be able to have some say in who is representing them." (29:51, Aisha)
"An attorney, despite what some of them say is not always the smartest person in the room, in every single topic." (44:49, Hunter)
"Ultimately the call on whether someone can or can't do a thing is not up to us as their attorney. It is up to us to certainly give them as much information as possible to make really honest and informed decisions." (50:46, Aisha)
Contact Hunter Parnell:
hwparnell@publicdefenseless.com