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.
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418 | The Organization Trying to Help More than 195,000 Afghan Allies Find Safety w/Shawn VanDiver
Episode 418
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 • Duration 57:26
Today, Hunter was the President and Founder of #AfghanEvac, Shaw VanDiver. During our two decades of conflict in Afghanistan, America made a promise to hundreds of thousands of Afghans who helped our cause: work with us, and we will provide you safety from the Taliban. Yet when Kabul fell back into the hands of the Taliban, America left behind more than 195,000 of our allies in harms way. Shawn and his team at #AfghanEvac aim to fulfil the promise we made to our Afghan allies by assisting them in claiming asylum in the United States.
Guest:
Shawn VanDiver, President and Founder, #AfghanEvac
417 | How a Jailhouse Lawyer Challenged Louisiana's Mass Incarceration from Inside Angola Prison w/Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull
Episode 417
Thursday, November 13, 2025 • Duration 01:07:58
Today, Hunter was joined by Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull, Co-authors of the book, Jailhouse Lawyer. In this book, Sophie and Calvin tell the story of Calvin's life. As a teenager, Calvin was wrongfully charged with and ultimately convicted of a homicide. He faced a life sentence in Angola State Prison. For the nearly three decades that Calvin was wrongfully incarcerated, he worked as a jailhouse lawyer. In that role, he helped countless men, in hopeless legal situations challenge the conditions and legality of their confinement. Now, Calvin and Sophie are here to share the power that a jailhouse lawyer can have in radically challenging mass incarceration.
Guest:
Calvin Duncan, Co-Author of The Jailhouse Lawyer¸ Director of the Light of Justice Program
Sophie Cull, Co-Author of The Jailhouse Lawyer, Louisiana
408 | How Georgia's New "Tough on Crime" Laws Could Make Communities Even Less Safe w/Blake Feldman
Episode 408
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 • Duration 01:26:09
Today, Hunter was joined by the Southern Center for Human Right's Blake Feldman. Hunter and Blake walked through a handful of criminal legal policy changes that recently went into effect in Georgia. Unfortunately, the state continues it's tough on crime approach that may ultimately lead to more kids in adult court, more adults serving mandatory minimums, and the state further trying to incarcerate it's way out of societal issues.
Guest:
Blake Feldman, Senior Policy Counsel, Southern Center for Human Rights
319 | How a Petty Theft Could get you 180 Days in Jail in Rifle Municipal Court w/Scott Troxell
Episode 319
Thursday, January 16, 2025 • Duration 01:06:39
Today, Hunter sat down with Scott Troxell to wrap up our conversation on Colorado Municipal Courts. This time, the conversation focuses on how Rifle Municipal Courts were giving people 6 Months sentences for thefts that the state only gave 10 day sentences.
Guest
Scott Troxell, Attorney, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
318 | How to Fight and Abolish the Death Penalty Outside of the Courtroom w/Abraham Bonowitz
Episode 318
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 • Duration 01:09:04
Today, Hunter sat down with longtime death penalty abolitionist activist Abraham Bonowitz. On previous episodes about death penalty abolition, the show has primarily focused on the successes and failures of the fight in the court room. Today however, Abe joins the show to discuss the types of media campaigns and coalition building that is necessary to fight and ultimately abolish the death penalty outside of the four corners of the court house.
Guest
Abraham Bonowitz, Executive Director, Death Penalty Action
317 | How Pueblo Municipal Court Used Contempt of Court to Send People to Jail for Years w/Keri Williams
Episode 317
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 • Duration 54:21
Today, Hunter sat down with Keri Williams to continue our coverage of Municipal Courts in Colorado. This time, they discussed how Pueblo Municipal Courts were giving people years in jail for contempt of court charges.
316 | The Everyday Cruelty in Westminster Municipal Court w/Alison Gordon
Episode 316
Thursday, January 9, 2025 • Duration 01:09:09
Today, Hunter sat down with Alison Gordon to continue our coverage of Municipal Courts in Colorado. This time, the discussion focuses on the extremely punitive Westminster Municipal Court.
315 | How People Are Denied the Right to Counsel in Grand Junction Municipal Court w/Tristan Gorman and Rebecca Wallace
Episode 315
Tuesday, January 7, 2025 • Duration 01:17:13
Today, Tristan Gorman and Rebecca Wallace are back this time to discuss municipal courts in Colorado. This episode is the first of our four-part series on municipal courts in Colorado. This episode gives a general overview of problems in this courts and then dives into the outright denial of counsel happening in Grand Junction's Municipal Court.
Guest
Tristan Gorman, Policy Director, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
Rebecca Wallace, Policy Director, Colorado Freedom Fund
314 | The Policies Making Colorado More "Tough on Crime" w/Tristan Gorman and Rebecca Wallace
Episode 314
Thursday, January 2, 2025 • Duration 01:15:22
Today, Tristan Gorman and Rebecca Wallace join the show to discuss the policies, ballot initiatives, and rhetoric from district attorneys that is pushing Colorado back in a "tough on crime" direction. Through their work with their respective organizations, Rebecca and Tristan are intimately familiar with the conversations that the state legislature engage in around crime and the criminal legal system.
Guest
Tristan Gorman, Policy Director, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
Rebecca Wallace, Policy Director, Colorado Freedom Fund
BONUS: Discussion/Debate w/a Former Cop about The Killing of Roger Fortson, The Execution of Marcellus Williams and The Citation of a Homeless Pregnant Woman in KY
Tuesday, December 24, 2024 • Duration 01:17:43
A Bonus Episode for everyone! On Monday, I had a discussion/debate with Daniel Carr, a former cop from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Today, we discussed/debated the use of force in the SrA Roger Fortson, the Execution of Marcellus Williams, and the citation issued to a homeless, pregnant woman in Louisville Kentucky
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