Public Defenseless 32: Why Nevada Public Defense Failed and the Plan to Build it Back w/Franny Forsman
Franny Forsman has been working in Nevada indigent defense for several decades, and today she brings her impressive breadth of experience to the show!
Franny is a former Post Conviction Indigent Defense Counsel in Nevada who has worked long and hard to improve the system.
Today, she speaks with us about how the ACLU lawsuit has brought drastic changes to the state of Nevada and why there are still so many weaknesses.
She'll explain how the Nevada public defense system handles the massive amount of rural coverage and share her dream for the future of the state.
Franny will reassure you that all together, Nevada's public defense system is heading in the right direction!
Key Topics and Takeaways:
- A history lesson on Nevada public defense. [2:36]
- Franny's background and role in Nevada public defense. [12:49]
- What Franny took away from her time as a social worker. [14:33]
- The major pushback from the legislature around funding. [20:18]
- Pleading guilty. [35:16]
- What has changed since the ACLU lawsuit. [40:17]
- Why the new system will be different. [58:32]
- How rural counties are handled. [59:17]
Guest:
Franny Forsman, Former Post Conviction Indigent Defense Counsel in Nevada
Resources:
State of Nevada v. Second Judicial District Court. 453 P2d 421. at 424 (Nevada 1969)
Memorable Quotes:
"It's David Carroll who said in his interview, a radical way to fix the system is to simply look at how many people are not actually getting attorneys. Look at how many cases are actually being carried. Look at how little work is being done in these cases." (6:51, Hunter)
"There was never a consequence to the state to underfund the system." (20:41, Franny)
"It's the state's responsibility to make sure that this gets right. It's the enforcement of all of the laws, including the sixth amendment that the state is responsible for." (34:07, Franny)
"Wherever you live, find the nearest courtroom. Odds are if you walked in there and you see a public defender working and you asked them how many cases do you take a year, more likely than not, they are going to have absolutely no idea." (53:56, Hunter)
"My feeling is that we will always have to have contract lawyers because of conflicts of interest." (1:01:55, Franny)
Contact Hunter Parnell:hwparnell@publicdefenseless.com