Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with the newest Chief Public Defender for the State of Maryland, Natasha Dartigue. Throughout her career, Natasha worked in every imaginable part of the Maryland Public Defender system. As such, she is acutely aware of the strength, weaknesses, and challenges she will face as she leads the office into the next decade. As with all of the conversations we have with leaders of a state wide Public Defense system, Natasha brings with her a vision for a safer, more vibrant community through the revitalization of public defense in the state of Maryland. Guest: Natasha Dartigue, Chief Public Defender, Maryland Office of the Public Defender Resources: Maryland Office of the Public Defender https://www.opd.state.md.us/ Maryland Public Defender Caseload Standards https://silo.tips/download/maryland-attorney-and-staff-workload-assessment-2005 Geoff Burkhart "How to Leverage Public Defender Workload Studies"" https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/handle/1811/80800/OSJCL_V14N2_403.pdf?sequence=1 NAPD Conference Sign Up https://napd2023riseresistrepresent.sched.com/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com

For somewhere between a third and a half of indigent people accused of a crime, they will be given either an assigned or contract Public Defender. Today's guest, Professor Eve Primus, argues that we must move away from that contract model of Public Defense. After years of research and writing, Eve is positive of one thing: to ensure everyone accused of a crime who cannot afford an attorney is provided competent representation, we must make full time Public Defense Offices the standard delivery method for public defense. From the lack of available resources to the lack of political voice, Eve posits that assigned counsel systems are no longer a viable option for the indigent clients they represent. To hear how she arrived at this point, why she is hopeful change can manifest, and the role she feels law schools must play in making our legal system better, tune in to this awesome conversation! Guest: Eve Primus, Professor of Law, University of Michigan Resources: The Problematic Structure of Indigent Defense Delivery https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4232443 NAPD Conference Sign Up https://napd2023riseresistrepresent.sched.com/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com

For some reason, people forget that long before New York or Illinois ended cash bail, New Jersey successfully eliminated cash bail. As Joseph Krakora shares on today's episode, that initiative came, in part, because Public Defense was valued enough by local politicians to be a major voice in shaping criminal justice reform. With more than a decade as the head of the New Jersey Public Defender System, few are better situated to share the story of bail reform and Public Defense in the state of New Jersey. Most importantly though, this story highlights why it is so important for Public Defenders to make themselves heard when policy is being crafted. Guest: Joseph Krakora, Public Defender of the State of New Jersey Resources: Office of the New Jersey Public Defender https://nj.gov/defender/ NAPD Conference Sign Up https://napd2023riseresistrepresent.sched.com/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com

While the main focus of the podcast is the representation that adults receive in felony and misdemeanor cases, there are countless other areas of law where indigent people need the help of attorneys. There are few states capable of providing the resources and care necessary to create a functioning public defense system for adult representation, so we shouldn't be surprised when things like Juvenile and Immigration representation fall to the wayside. Iowa is no exception. Recently, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court stated Public Defense in Iowa was on the verge of collapse. If that's the case, what's happening to juvenile and immigration representation? To help answer these questions, Hunter spoke with Julia Zalenski, a Public Defender in the Iowa City Public Defender Office, and Rachel Antonuccio, the supervisor at the Waterloo Juvenile Public Defender Office. Through their tireless work and speaking on the show, they hope to draw attention to the needs of the countless clients who are easily ignored by the state. Guest: Rachel Antonuccio, Supervisor, Waterloo Juvenile Public Defender Office Julia Zalenski, Public Defender, Iowa City Public Defender Office Resources: Iowa Public Defender Office https://spd.iowa.gov/ Iowa Public Defense Crisis https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2023/01/11/iowa-indigent-defense-attorneys-crisis-supreme-court-chief-justice/69792316007/ NAPD Conference Sign Up https://napd2023riseresistrepresent.sched.com/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com

In a good faith effort to hold police accountable, states and counties around the country started mandating that police wear body cameras at all times. When they or on or working, they offer a powerful source of evidence at the misconduct of officers. There is just one problem: With Public Defender Offices in crisis around the country, do they actually have the time to review hundreds of hours of video evidence in every case? That answer, for a long time, was no. That's where Justice Text, and our guest today come in. As student at the University of Chicago, Devshi Mehrotra realized the inequities in our legal system following the murder of Laquan McDonald. As the Chicago community rallied for change, she wanted to help. Out of this desire the idea for Justice Text was born. On today's show, you will hear more about the creation of Justice Text, how it helps Public Defenders, and the role tech needs to take in helping balancing the scales between resources available to police, prosecutors, and Public Defenders. Guest: Resources: Justice Text https://justicetext.com/ Justice Text on Twitter https://twitter.com/JusticeText NY Times article on the disparity in access to tech across the legal system https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/business/law-enforcement-public-defender-technology-gap.html NAPD Conference Sign Up https://napd2023riseresistrepresent.sched.com/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com

With the grueling nature of Public Defense work, it takes a special combination of internal and external motivations to navigate a 20+ year career in the field. Today on the show our guest, Andre Vitale, shares with us how he managed the highs and lows of working in Public Defense in three separate states. When his career started, Andre served as a line defender in the Monroe, County Public Defender Office in Rochester New York. After more than a decade there, Andre spent a year in King County Washington, to help refine his skills as a Public Defense Trainer. After finally landing in the Hudson Trial region in New Jersey, Andre has helped to cultivate inciteful and productive training programs for Public Defense around the country. As he sees it in order to get Public Defense where it needs to go, a robust training program is a must, and it is part of what kept him going through all of these years! Guest: Andre Vitale, Acting First Assistant Deputy Public Defender, Trial Chief, Hudson Trial Region at New Jersey Office of the Public Defender Resources: NJ Office of the Public Defender https://nj.gov/defender/ NAPD Conference Sign Up https://napd2023riseresistrepresent.sched.com/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com

When we think of zealous Public Defense, we often think of triumphant victories in the court room, but today's guest wants Public Defenders to realize their greatest victories must come outside of the court room. Joining Hunter today once again is Sam Allison-Natale. He is the Executive Director of the Kansas Holistic Defenders, the only holistic public defender office in the state of Kansas dedicated to representing only misdemeanor clients. Unlike most states, the Kansas Public Defender system provides representation only to those accused of felony crimes. So, when Sam moved with his family from New York to Lawrence Kansas, there was a limited opportunity to continue serving his community as a Public Defender. Undeterred, Sam seized on the already existing local groundswell of people calling for drastic changes to the local criminal legal system. In understanding the power of organizing and collective action, Sam assisted in getting the office up and running. On today's episode, you'll find out how the team at Kansas Holistic Defenders accomplished this and continue to work with the community to challenge the carceral system! Guest: Sam Allison-Natale, Executive Director, Kansas Holistic Defenders Resources: Kansas Holistic Defenders https://www.kansasholisticdefenders.org/ ICE Detention Story https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww2.ljworld.com%2Fnews%2Fpublic-safety%2F2023%2Fjan%2F20%2Fdouglas-county-sheriff-seeks-legal-advice-on-handling-warrants-from-federal-immigration-officials-that-are-not-signed-by-a-judge%2F Sanctuary City News https://metrovoicenews.com/lawrence-moves-forward-with-sanctuary-city-plans/ Sanctuary Alliance Lawerence Kansas https://www.facebook.com/SanctuaryAllianceLawrenceKS/ NAPD Conference Registration https://napd2023riseresistrepresent.sched.com/tickets Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com

Today, Hunter spoke with Diane Lozano, the Wyoming State Public Defender, to discuss how she's been able to secure support for Public Defense in the challenge political landscape of Wyoming. With more than a decade at the helm of the state's public defender system, Diane's use of data and public advocacy has allowed her to maintain support through multiple state Congresses and Gubernatorial administrations. Despite the turmoil that comes with changing faces of a constantly rotating political body, Diane found a way to build the necessary relationships and compile the necessary data to make convincingly and consistently make the case for people to care about public defense. This task is even more impressive when one considers that her position is a direct Gubernatorial appointee! Yet her victories are always in a precarious state. As with all states, funding for public defense is always at the whim of an ever-changing political body, but in Wyoming, it's also tied to the success of the fossil fuel industry. Despite victories both in and out of the court room, the boom bust cycle of the fossil fuel industry often leaves her offices and the support services their clients need, in a precarious position. What can be done to shore up a more consistent funding stream? What can we learn from the story of Public Defense in Wyoming? All that and more will be answered by the end of this excellent conversation! Guest: Diane Lozano, State Public Defender, Wyoming Resources: Lozano v Circuit Court https://casetext.com/case/lozano-v-circuit-court-of-sixth-judicial-dist Wyoming Public Defender https://wyodefender.wyo.gov/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com

For decades, activists, scholars, and attorneys decried the state of public defense in New York. Report after report uncovered a broken system that underpaid public defenders and contact attorneys alike as the state shirked its responsibility to adequately support the counties in their effort to provide counsel to the poor. Even after a landmark study, mandated by the state's chief justice, it would take another decade and a lawsuit from the NYCLU, to finally start the process toward reform. For much of her career, today's guest zealously advocated for poor clients facing the death penalty. As such, Patricia Warth was able to see first-hand the incredibly positive impacts that a well-funded, well-staffed public defender office could have on the lives of the accused and the community writ large. Today, her experience as a death penalty lawyer informs her work as the Director of the New York Office of Indigent Legal Services. While not fighting battles in the courtroom, Patricia is still caught in a daily struggle to help legislators from around the country understand the necessity for the state to continue to expand its support for public defense. With her incredible experience at nearly every level of public defense in New York, Patricia is the perfect guest to help us understand what we can learn from the rehabilitation of New York's Public Defense System. Guest: Patricia Warth, Director, New York Office of Indigent Legal Services Resources: 2006 Reports on New York Indigent Defense https://www.nycourts.gov/ip/indigentdefense-commission/IndigentDefenseCommission_report06.pdf https://www.nycourts.gov/ip/indigentdefense-commission/SpangenbergGroupReport.pdf Hurell-Harring Settlement Implementation https://www.ils.ny.gov/node/56/hurrell-harring-settlement-implementation https://www.ils.ny.gov/files/Statewide%20Counsel%20at%20Arraignment%20Report%20Year%202%202020.pdf State of Injustice: How New York State Turns its Back on the Right to Counsel for the Poor" https://www.nyclu.org/sites/default/files/publications/nyclu_hh_report_FINAL.pdf NY ILS website https://www.ils.ny.gov/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com

Today on the show, Hunter spoke with Michael Smith, an Assistant Public Defender in Chattooga County, Georgia, to talk about the unique challenges he faces as a rural public defender. After college and law school took him away from his home in Chattooga, County, Michael Smith returned home with a new found understanding of the inequities his community faced. As the only public defender in the county, Michael is responsible for ensuring the rights of every person in the county are protected. As if that burden was not enough, the county, like so many rural areas of the country, suffers from a severe drought of mental health and transportation services that are essential to assisting people escape the cycle of legal system interactions. If we are to solve the nation's Public Defense crisis, we will need to come up with solutions to get desperately needed resources and services to rural and urban public defenders alike. Guest: Michael Smith, Assistant Public Defender, Chattooga County Georgia Resources: Contact for Michael https://www.lmjc.net/?page_id=530 Contact Hunter Parnell: hwparnell@publicdefenseless.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com