417 | How a Jailhouse Lawyer Challenged Louisiana's Mass Incarceration from Inside Angola Prison w/Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull

Today, Hunter was joined by Bolts Magazine staff writer, Lauren Gill. Back in September, Lauren authored a remarkable piece about how a small county in rural Arkansas responded to the threat of a new prison being built in their back yard.   Guest: Lauren Gill, Staff Writer, Bolts Mag   Resources: Check Out Lauren's Work https://x.com/laurenk_gill https://boltsmag.org/authors/lauren-gill/ Read the Article Here https://boltsmag.org/arkansas-prison-franklin-county/         Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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  

Today, Hunter was joined by Greg Egan and John Choi. For the first time on the show, a Public Defender and the District Attorney join the show at the same time to describe how their collaborative efforts have improved public safety without mass incarceration.   Guest: Greg Egan, Public Defender, Ramsey County, Minnesota John Choi, Elected District Attorney, Ramsey County, Minnesota   Resources: Contact John https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/your-government/leadership/county-attorneys-office/meet-john-j-choi https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/your-government/leadership/county-attorneys-office [email protected] https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/your-government/projects-initiatives/transforming-systems-together/youth-justice-transformation Contact Greg linkedin.com/in/greg-egan-2a5a5359 [email protected]   We Resolve https://weresolve-mn.com/about-us/         Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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  

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Andrew Davies and Shelby Sirivore of the Deason Center. This time, the two join the show to help us understand the policy decisions that local governments make that increase or decrease the likelihood that a person who cannot afford an attorney will actually get one appointed if they want it.   Guest: Andrew Davies, Director of Research, Deason Center, Southern Methodist University Shelby Sirivore, Contractor, Deason Center, Southern Methodist University   Resources: Read the Report https://scholar.smu.edu/deasoncenter/18/   Read more from the Deason Center https://scholar.smu.edu/deasoncenter/ Check out Deason's New Website https://www.smu.edu/law/centers-and-initiatives/deason-center/work/research/getting-misdemeanors-right/getting-magistration-right         Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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  

Today, Hunter was joined by Los Angeles Deputy Public Defender Noah Coax. Noah leads the office's Neurocognitive Disorder Team that has charted a new path for public defenders to properly represent clients with cognitive impairments.   Guest: Noah Cox, Deputy Public Defender, Neurocognitive Disorder Team, Los Angeles Public Defender   Resources: More About NDT https://pubdef.lacounty.gov/gold-eagle-award/ https://www.npr.org/2025/11/01/nx-s1-5582617/cognitive-disabilities-diversion https://time.com/6311088/forgiving-johnny-documentary/ Contact the Office and Noah Here [email protected] https://pubdef.lacounty.gov/  https://www.instagram.com/lapubdef/ https://www.facebook.com/LACOUNTYPD/ https://x.com/lapubdef https://www.linkedin.com/company/lapubdef         Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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  

Today, Hunter was joined by Danielle Harris, Managing Attorney of the Freedom Project at the San Francisco Public Defender Office. Thanks to mass incarceration policies like mandatory minimums and three strikes laws, thousands of people in California languish away serving brutally harsh sentences. Recognizing the cruelty, the state passed a series of laws aimed at giving people a pathway to early release, and for years, Danielle and her team at the Freedom Project have helped people get early release. Sadly, their grant funding is at an end, and this episode is a reminder that if we are serious about reducing the harms of mass incarceration, we must be willing to fund the mechanisms that undo it.   Guest: Danielle Harris, Managing Attorney for the Freedom Project, San Francisco Public Defender   Resources: Read about the stories in today's episode https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/magazine/juvenile-justice-california.html https://wearedefender.com/forty-four-years & https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/SF-public-defender-unit-helps-Oakland-man-go-free-15301831.php Learn More about the Freedom Project https://missionlocal.org/2024/05/public-defender-resentencing-program/ Contact the SF Public Defender ttps://sfpublicdefender.org/ https://www.facebook.com/sfpublicdefender https://x.com/sfdefender https://www.instagram.com/sfpublicdefender/         Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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  

Today, Hunter was joined once again by Professor Justin Murray. This time, Justin and Hunter discussed Justin's newest law review article, Brady's Shadow. In the article, Justin lays out the landmark Supreme Court Case Brady v. Maryland has left criminal defendants with a deeply flawed access to exculpatory evidence.   Guest: Justin Murray, Professor of Law, New York Law School   Resources: Read the Article Here https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5393687 Contact Justin https://www.nyls.edu/faculty/justin-murray/       Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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  

Today, Hunter was joined by two guests from the Brooklyn Defender Services, Heather Stoloff and Andie Markowitz. Unfortunately, today's conversation brings us another allegation of a public defender leader engaging in flagrant union busting efforts. A few months ago, the Executive Director of the organization called Andie in for a one on one meeting. In that meeting, Andie alleges that the Executive Director handed her instructions detailing how to dissolve the office's current union, how to create a new one, and as Andie understood it, that she would be rewarded for doing so.   Guest: Heather Stoloff, Attorney Team Lead, Preserving Family Bonds Team, Brooklyn Defender Services Andie Markowitz, Senior Social Worker, Brooklyn Defender Services   Resources: Read More Here https://queenseagle.com/all/2025/9/19/brooklyn-defender-services-boss-accused-of-union-busting-scheme https://www.alaa.org/media-releases/resolution-condemning-lisa-schreibersdorf https://hellgatenyc.com/brooklyn-defender-services-union-bust/ https://x.com/bds_union     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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  

Today, Hunter was joined by the CJA Panel Rep for New Mexico, Ryan Villa. The last time Hunter talked about CJA panels on the show he discussed how the federal government stopped paying the panels back in July. After months of not getting paid, Ryan and the rest of the New Mexico panel decided that enough was enough. They wrote a letter stating they would no longer be accepting new cases. With the future funding of this system in doubt, this could be a preview of what is in store for federal public defense in the near future.     Guest: Ryan Villa, CJA Panel Rep, Federal District of New Mexico   Resources: Contact Ryan [email protected] Read the Letter https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/new-mexico-lawyers-stop-accepting-new-court-appointed-defense-work-over-funding-2025-11-05/ https://www.fd.org/news/new-mexico-defense-lawyers-stops-accepting-new-court-appointed-cases-over-shutdown Memo in California https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/federal-judges-can-compel-lawyers-represent-defendants-without-pay-california-2025-11-07/     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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  

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   Resources: Contact Shawn and His Team https://afghanevac.org/ https://x.com/afghanevac https://www.instagram.com/afghan_evac https://www.youtube.com/c/AfghanEvac https://www.facebook.com/AfghanEvac https://www.tiktok.com/@afghanevac https://truthsocial.com/@afghanevac https://bsky.app/profile/afghanevac.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14026798/   Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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  

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   Resources: Contact Calvin https://www.loyno.edu/academics/faculty-and-staff-directory/calvin-duncan https://www.calvinduncan.com/ Pick up a Copy of the Book https://www.calvinduncan.com/p/book-the-jailhouse-lawyer Follow Them on Socials https://www.instagram.com/jailhouse_lawyer/?hl=en     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon 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