

Public Defenseless
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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 27, 2024 • 1h 14min
305 | How Prosecutors Might get Rewarded for Messing Up the Harvey Weinstein Case w/Amanda Jack
Today, Hunter is joined by Amanda Jack of the New York Legal Aid Society. Today, Amanda and Hunter are discussing the Harvey Weinstein trial. Specifically, they are discussing why the conviction was overturned, why the New York legislature is trying to change the rules of evidence, and why it's a terrible idea for them to do it. Guests: Amanda Jack, Policy Director Criminal Practice, NY Legal Aid Society Resources: Follow Amanda on Twitter https://x.com/brooklynpd Federal Rule of Evidence 413 and Harvey Weinstein https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2024/05/30/federal-rule-of-evidence-413-and-harvey-weinstein/?slreturn=20241123154046 https://nysba.org/the-people-v-harvey-weinstein-the-question-of-prior-bad-acts/?srsltid=AfmBOooaOVkUi_nnP2AqDlNinTDRYWRpXrPDFsj8OwCGFxnMt2zWGOky Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron 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

Nov 26, 2024 • 59min
304 | One Step Forward and Two Steps Back Mississippi Public Defense w/Andre de Gruy
Today, Hunter is joined once again by Andre de Gruy, Chief Public Defender of Mississippi. The last time Andre was on the show, he and Hunter discussed some positive changes he was hoping to get out of the 2024 legislative session. While not everything from the last episode came to pass, Andre believes Mississippi public defense is ever so slowly improving. Guests: Andre de Gruy, State Public Defender, Mississippi Resources: OSPD Website https://www.ospd.ms.gov/ Marshall Project Mississippi https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/05/02/mississippi-public-defense-legislative-reforms https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/09/18/mississippi-courts-lawyers-poor-defendants https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/01/24/arrested-hinds-county-mississippi-jackson-courts Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron 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

Nov 21, 2024 • 1h 4min
303 | How A.I. Can Help Public Defenders Challenge Police and Prosecutors Part 2 w/Prabhas Pokharel
Today, Hunter is joined be the Co-Founder of Reduct, Prabhas Pokharel. Building from Tuesday's conversation about tech, AI, and Public Defense, Hunter and Prabhas explore the ways AI and Reduct can help Public Defenders take on Police and Prosecutors. Guests: Prabhas Pokharel, Co-Founder, Reduct Resources: Reduct Website, Socials, and Contact https://reduct.video/ https://x.com/ReductVideo prabhas@reduct.video Standford Legal AI Study https://www.lawnext.com/2024/06/in-redo-of-its-study-stanford-finds-westlaws-ai-hallucinates-at-double-the-rate-of-lexisnexis.html https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-trial-legal-models-hallucinate-1-out-6-or-more-benchmarking-queries https://dho.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/Legal_RAG_Hallucinations.pdf Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron 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

Nov 20, 2024 • 1h 19min
302 | How A.I. is Helping Police and Prosecutors Surveil, Arrest, and Incarcerate People w/Andrew Ferguson
Today, Hunter is joined once again by Professor Andrew Ferguson. Last time Andrew was on the show, he and Hunter discussed the state of the 4th Amendment in the digital era. This time, Hunter and Andrew dive into three law review articles Andrew has recently published. The first discussed a new framework for analyzing the 4th Amendment. The second and third articles are all about new, dangerous was police and prosecutors are relying on AI. Guests: Andrew Ferguson, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law Resources: Andrew's Faculty Page https://www.american.edu/wcl/faculty/ferguson.cfm Andrews Law Review Articles Digital Rummaging https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4377633 AI in Police Reports https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4897632 Video Analytics and the Fourth Amendment https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4766249 U.S. v Tuggle https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2021/D07-14/C:20-2352:J:Flaum:aut:T:fnOp:N:2733467:S:0 More on AI in Police Reports https://www.kqed.org/news/12007520/how-artificial-intelligence-is-changing-the-reports-police-write https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/171-mic-drop-andrew-ferguson-says-ais-introduction/id1225077306?i=1000671753062 https://www.propublica.org/article/police-body-cameras-video-ai-law-enforcement https://apnews.com/article/ai-writes-police-reports-axon-body-cameras-chatgpt-a24d1502b53faae4be0dac069243f418 Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron 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

Nov 19, 2024 • 1h 3min
301 | How A.I. Can Help Public Defenders Challenge Police and Prosecutors Part 1 w/IV Ashton
Today, Hunter is joined by IV Ashton, Founder and President of Legal Server, to discuss how a quality case management system and powerful AI tools can help Public Defenders pose more systemic challenges to police and prosecutors Guests: IV Ashton, President and Founder, Legal Server Resources: Legal Server Website https://www.legalserver.org/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron 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

Nov 14, 2024 • 1h 2min
300 | How Mitigation is Helping Veterans Escape the Criminal Legal System w/Nancy Farrell and Dee Miller
Nancy Farrell, Director of the New York Vet Defense Program, and Dee Miller, Program Coordinator with a military background, discuss vital support for veterans in the legal system. They explore how holistic mitigation helps veterans navigate their challenges beyond substance treatment. Insights on personalized mentorship in Veterans Treatment Court and the importance of understanding their unique experiences illustrate the need for specialized resources. The conversation emphasizes empathy's role in family courts, advocating for better judicial education for veterans facing PTSD.

Nov 13, 2024 • 38min
299 | How NAPD is Fostering a National Forum for Public Defense Innovations w/Jeff Sherr
Today, Hunter is joined once again by NAPD's Jeff Sherr. This time, they sat down to discuss NAPD's new Change Maker Forum, what Hunter learned from attending, and how NAPD hopes to use it to spark new, impactful changes in Public Defense. Guests: Jeff Sherr, Director of Training, National Association of Public Defense Resources: NAPD Changemaker Forum 2025 https://publicdefenders.us/event/the-changemakers-forum-napd-strategic-exchange-3/ Notes from 2024 https://publicdefenders.us/blogs/napd-changemakers-forum-tackles-public-defense-challenges/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron 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

Nov 12, 2024 • 46min
298 |What the History of ULCA's Police Department Tells Us About the Issues with Campus Police w/Andrew Guerrero
Today, Hunter is joined by Ph.D. candidate and law student Andrew Gurrero to discuss his research about the evolution of the UCLA police department. In this episode, Hunter and Andrew explore the origins of the department and the forces that drove the department away from its original mandate. Guests: Andrew Gurrero, Ph.D Candidate, Harvard Resources: Read Sources Discussed in the Episode Here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12_jIy21jUCsPS4qEqSAMjxxvx1Tlce6r?usp=sharing Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron 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

Nov 7, 2024 • 1h 10min
297 | The Successes and Failings of Plea Bargaining in Europe w/Rebecca Shaeffer
Today, Hunter is joined once again by Rebecca Schaffer to discuss plea bargaining in Europe. As we did on Tuesday, this episode aims to help people understand the intractable problems with plea deals and what countries are doing to try and ameliorate those problems Guests: Rebecca Schaffer, Former Legal Director, Fair Trials Resources: Follow Rebecca on Twitter https://x.com/rebeccashaeffe?lang=en Email Rebecca rebecca.shaeffer@gmail.com Read the Reports https://www.fairtrials.org/articles/film-video/trial-waiver-systems-in-europe-punishment-without-a-trial/ https://www.fairtrials.org/articles/publications/the-disappearing-trial/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron 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

Nov 6, 2024 • 1h 6min
296 | How South Dakota is Fixing its Public Defense Crisis w/Aditi Goel
Today, Hunter is joined once again by Aditi Goel of the Sixth Amendment Center. This time, we discuss their recent report about Public Defense in South Dakota. Like many county based, county funded Public Defense systems, South Dakota is plagued with underfunding, under staffing, lack of independence, and cost saving practices that make Public Defense ineffective. Yet, this episode has a ray of hope because for the first time in its history, the state appears poised to radically reimagine how it funds, supports, and organizes Public Defense. Guests: Aditi Goel, Deputy Director, Sixth Amendment Center Resources: Read the Report Here: https://6ac.org/new-6ac-report-finds-south-dakota-counties-are-at-a-breaking-point-and-need-state-oversight/ New South Dakota Public Defense Commission https://www.sdpb.org/crime-courts/2024-10-07/public-defense-challenges-highlighted-as-commission-begins-work https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/24943/265191 Task Force Report https://ujs.sd.gov/uploads/committees/Indigent/ILSTaskForceFinalReportRecommendations.pdf Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com Subscribe to the Patron 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


