America's Public Defense System Is in Crisis
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- Опубликовано: 29 фев 2020
- Public Defenders are facing soaring caseloads, and flatlining budgets, and with 80% of all criminal defendants in the US unable to afford a lawyer, the system is collapsing. With the Constitutional right to fair representation in a court of law in jeopardy, VICE's Cord Jefferson heads to one of the worst-hit states to see how overworked and underpaid public defenders are grinding the legal system to a halt.
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VICE's Cord Jefferson heads to one of the worst-hit states to see how overworked and underpaid public defenders are grinding the legal system to a halt.
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VICE News 2020(G) “Respect and dignity.” Furthermore:
E por que que não apresentasse prova até agora tu é elementar do crime não as provas cadê as provas e a testemunha cadê as provas e as testemunhas do crime que ela fez
E cadê as provas do crime que cometeram que eles falaram cadê as provas do crime eu procuro as eu procuro as provas do crime e colocar o sobre a minha vida é isso que
@ Vice News Public defenders are underpaid because they’re usually the most incompetent attorneys.
They certainly don’t have your best interest at heart most times.
You need to come to Alabama and see what’s going on
Drugs aren't expensive, only coke is... So I won't be watching next.
To everyone saying "just don't commit crimes" have you ever heard of innocent until proven guilty? Just because you've been arrested does not automatically mean guilty no matter the crime
There is also all the shady stuff done by large corporations. If you get sick because some large company dumped tons of waste in the water and you are poor. Well they will get away with it if the justice system does not function. These large companies just drag it out for ages, can hire top lawyers. Basically you are powerless against these giants.
All my charges were dropped, but my disability cheque was docked for all the time I spent in prison waiting for trial because they said my rent and food was being paid for. Of course, I still had to pay rent to my landlord, which means I starved.
@lilbeserk You're heartless, by blaming an innocent, starving disabled person and saying that (s)he should be happy as others are even worse off. America should do better.
@lilbeserkSocialist bubble roflmao.
@lilbeserk it seems like you care about the taxpayers pocket it also seems like you have an interest in brexit judging by how you have the Brexit movie saved in a playlist, it also indicates that you don't fact check and believe any rhetoric spewed by anyone with a nice voice
Somebody at VICE HQ got tired of the ‘bring real journalism back’ comments and dropped a whole stack of videos on us 😂
Lol
Finally,
reporting that captures your attention and let's you know what's going on outside your 4 walls....
Yeah but some of them are old af
Unfortunatly half of them are re-uploads from other vice channels with new thumbnails.
RED what's going on at Vice? Ever since they got cancelled from HBO seems like they've been scrambling
Imagine how many of them are actually innocent and they’re being forced to sit behind bars
V it’s a tragedy, they literally rob people of their time
Melissa G Yea I’m affected by that reality.
You right 90% of them were honor grads just heading to church and a cop arrested them
That's life
Yeah not to mention a lot of them r in there for small nonviolent drug crimes, like having weed on you or some shit. Even if they're declared not guilty they've still served for months bc of our shitty bail system. It's so disappointing that this is reality.
Title:
Me: Don't you mean "America's Public Defense System HAS Been In Crisis For Decades"....
deep
America number #27 yall need to think better about voting the right again my latin work goes all to Switzerland
For real this shit happens in NC everyday
Vice dropping videos in the past 7 days, like Lil Wayne was dropping mixtapes in early 2000s. Got damn, keep em coming
Dallas Ryder im saying bring em out bring em out
lol! right! @Vice keep uploading, because it's helping me do my presentation for my community committee and school district committee. Plus, your my excuse why Im up til 3am watching new and rewatching old videos.
LMAO They used to mass upload segments from pasts seasons of Vice before a new one comes out.
Most of them are actually reuploads. About 3-4 years old from the hbo days.
ALL OF THESE VIDEOS are old shit... they are just uploading segments from their cancelled HBO series... I've seen all of this, years ago
VICE should do a documentary on the College Board
KIN 欽旭 i agree
KIN 欽旭 MSU in East Lansing, Mi should be first!
Yes !!!
yesssssssss
@@NorthernCold why? I go there that's why I am curious lol
My dad is a public defender, and to say they’re overworked is a massive understatement. When he first started practicing, he would have around two hundred cases at any given time. He would basically live at the jail on the weekends trying to meet with his clients because he would spend his week in court. And they’re severely underpaid for the work they do.
Thank your dad for me.
That sounds like hell
Is there a reason he hasnt went to private practice? I'm sure with his track record he would get hired in no time and be working a much easier life for more money.
@@OhioPalmTrees Maybe he doesn't work only for the money. Believe it or not, there are lawyers who actually want to help people on their worst days who cant afford a lawyer.
ALL government employees claim to be overworked. I don't think I've ever even heard of a single government employee every saying they had a reasonable job load and good pay. No government agency in the history of the world has ever said "we don't need any more funding"
I believe you should be compensated if you spend 12 months in jail waiting for the courts, and you're found not guilty.
Shit minimum wage,15$ bet they change shit then!
@lilbeserk so if you were caught up in a case which clearly you were not guilty, but due to over crowding you're forced to wait, in the mean time you lose your job, home, car, and after all that, 12 months larer you're given $1100 max , you'd be ok with that?
Then they will just make everyone guilty to not pay and thst is already happening
This is also why innocent people take plea deals and they know it. The prosecutor's don't care they just want that conviction record. Go home today a felon or wait 2 years just to go to a trial where you might still get found guilty.. it's fucked up.
You can sue for compensation or are automatically compensated a set amount in different states.
well someone's gotta pay for our $700B defense budget
public defenders are on the state level
MEXICO WILL PAY
Emily Moss preach
The real tragedy is that by skimping on defense lawyer, it ultimately costs the state more money - and justice, too.
Thank Republicans for this nonsense.
VICE been on fire lately
Everyone was spelling their doom when they announced staff layoffs and restructuring, but I think if this is the result, it's fucking worth it. Coming back to relevant stories, asking the hard questions and getting into the weeds
@@katana723 yeah defo, instead of wacky stories that pander to small groups
VICE-President :)
This is absolutely horrific.
“Justice”
@nomar Dinkleberg hella just shoot the runners thats integrity
@nomar Dinkleberg yeah, getting shot hurts, but not as much as rotting away due to an unjust system.
Should’ve thought about that before committing a crime tho
@@domanisarapeggio the point of this comment was that if you diddnt commit the crime you were picked up for. You would still be in the system until your court date with a garbage public defense.
How much Justice can you afford
It is most definitely a "criminal" justice system.
! stop locking people up for minor offenses !
Then how can your prisons make money it's the system
@Blitz 557 That's not how it works, beloved. Some innocent people are in jail, right now, and some people who relied on petty crimes for survival are currently locked up for misdemeanors.
Stop letting GREED earn money on a corrupt system.
End the Drug War!
Stop breaking the law seems simple enough
Damn just imagine all the hard work you put in law school and come out with a job like this. To add salt to the wound, they don't even make 6 figures.
Like the one dude that went on to start his own practice said, he went into law school JUST to be a public defender and didn't have plans beyond that.
Imagine staying on as a PD in an overworked county like this, tho. That's dedication to a cause.
All of the people we call lawyers are complicit or else they wouldn’t be lawyers. The only way to end the system is to stop participating. In short, I hope they fuckin starve bro.
There are too many lawyers . It doesn’t take a tremendous education to be one. It’s all a big scam.
@@anyoneyousee7772 that makes no sense at all. If there wasn't public defendants so many more people would be in jail
@@ojplays889 lol actually legally they cannot prosecute you without a lawyer, and cannot hold you for more than a year without prosecuting. So if the lawyers really wanted they could stop all bullshit prosecutions tomorrow by simply recusing themselves from the case. The problem is layers are liars and snakes who wouldn’t know the morally right thing to do if it bit them in the ass. Hence 12 year olds getting sentenced to years in prison in this country, while they had a public pretender. All ideologies are lies told to the workers for the purpose of control.
It’s an amazing testament of these professionals that they stay in the public defender’s office as long as they do.
lol side money and kickbacks
theyre just as slick
dont be stupid
Not really dude. Public Pretenders have to put in their time to get promoted to a future prosecutor position. They don't do this out of the goodness of their heart.
@@ubermikesocal That is just...not true. Public defenders don't randomly switch to prosecution or vice versa. People can be hired at the DA's office right out of law school.
@@mollymajewski8701 but most PD's have alternative motives in mind when becoming a pd. They're thinking this will look good if they're considering going into politics. But don't most pd's get paid per case?? If thats true than these pds are making bank.
@@bradsully6620 No, they don't get paid per case. PDs get paid a salary, like any other government employee. Sometimes, in cities that don't have PD offices or who don't have enough PDs, the court will appoint other attorneys from the community that are NOT public defenders but who work at private firms, and those ones will get paid per case. Nobody becomes a PD for the money.
I remember when I was a teenager and I was falsely charged with shoplifting. I thought since I was innocent it would be a quick process. 8 months later and a shitty public defender who told me to plead guilty to “speed” up the process. Proved that the whole “justice” system is guilty until proven innocent, but you can never actually prove that your innocent. The system doesn’t allow it
Wanna hear a joke?
The United States criminal justice system!
You wrote 3 too many words
Biggest joke of them all?
The United States of America.
@@RunEnabled Please define "better", as compared to any other country. The US doesn't rank well when it comes to freedom, healthcare, and happiness.
My guess is you didn’t watch the full video? This is not the US criminal Justice system. This is Missouri’s criminal justice system, most normal states aren’t this bad. It’s the poor mismanaged and uneducated states that are like this.
It is a joke
Allocate resources to bring young people into the BAR and have them choose the public defender route by enticing with boosts to pay. No one is doing this public work when a private firm can grant you 3x the salary.
Or...
privatize the prisons and underfund people's defence for sell-your-soul-to-the-devil level profits.
@mxlbabe I'm not familiar with this. What do you mean? Can you break it down for me?
Thats like telling college football players to join the XfL instead of the NFL .
Johnny Deng yeah but also the NFL isn’t one of the cornerstones of this nation’s constitution or one of its fundamental values. Some people believe in sacrifice and duty
@@rainboemonk Residency is basically an extended hands-on internship. Pretty much mxlbabe is advocating for all new lawyers to spend a couple years honing their skills as public defenders as a way to earn their law degree.
Over 100 cases per day for one courtroom. That's insane!
Each case would only get less than 5 mins, how would a judge even review all the evidence in that short of time.
Phillip Leong
They dont
That's the secret to the healthcare system and the criminal justice system in in America it only works because it doesn't service everyone when it does have to service a high-volume a completely shuts down
Even a doctor at a "factory clinic" spends more time on each case.
How many of these people are in for useless laws such as possession?
A lot, let's face it these people aren't high level criminals, just the ones easy to catch.
Most D.A.'s offices no longer prosecute for low-level drug offenses.
Better call saul!
Saul's heart was often in the right place, but his ego was not.
Slippin jimmy
babeinlove.link/IgwLoQ13M9n
Alec nolastname nobody watched that shit
That's exactly what I wanted to comment. :D
wow my friend was probably at that courtroom not long ago.. cool to see Missouri on vice but I wish it was a better reason.. the system sucks.
+Julian. Vote right wing, keep the cash flowing from the treasury of the US government to private prisons. Dont worry, it wont be rich people paying it because they will get big tax cuts. So you and co will do the paying. /satire
Lobos222 spot on
@@Lobos222 yup but let's not act like it's only conservatives pushing the prison Ponzi scheme. Like Nancy Palosi' is just as corrupt as a Missouri Senator. All Americans need to wake up to the fact that we're living in a police state 😠😡😠 and completely reorganize the money incentives for this corruption to continue growing unabated. Let's fucking Riot if we have to, because I don't know how else to get a powerful message delivered and actually acted upon. :/ *Sigh* I'm so angry today, thinking about all the corruption
I’m from Missouri check out my music
THE SYSTEM IS STACKED AGAINST THE PEOPLE, RESEARCH JURY NULLIFICATION. .
I want to go to law school because there’s such a shortage. Doing a year of public defender work sounds like something every lawyer should do.
That's my plan
first off stop arresting people for weed and jay walking
King Kush how many people get arrested for jay walking
@@bingbop9300 A stupid amount of people honestly
Not being from the US the idea of being arrested for jay walking is crazy to me
Jay walking sounds fun
@@valley5285 I've practiced criminal law for 14 years. Never seen anyone get arrested for it nor have I seen it as a justification for police contact.
Lots of quality episodes coming out recently, keep 'em coming!
Prosecutor pay is higher than defender pay and the school system is a public indoctrination camp that creates primed customers for the business of legal proceedings.
School system? Most people leave it not knowing basic information. And worse still, clueless as to how to basic functions for society, like filing taxes and making doctor appointments
Just because you flunked algebra doesn’t make public schools indoctrination camps
chaosXpert public schools aren’t a charity, they don’t exist to teach you life skills, they exist to educate society. Learning how to do those things is for one not that hard and also your responsibility
I heard someone say “you know you’re getting time when the public defender comes in and asks for (insert name) right before trial and you have to raise your hand.”
Hmm so it looks like everything’s in crisis right now
That's what I was thinking when I read the title. Everything is in a fucking crisis in America
@@hambone4984
Most of the foundational, but boring things, yeah.
Clickbait
Agreed. Makes me want to pack up and quit society
Hammster Wonder Cheeks that tends to happen when we have an idiot in charge :)
May the kind and bald lawyer find many calm and relaxing moments in the future, he deserves it more than anyone.
I remember VICE when it was this underground artsy punk magazine. Now that I had grow up along with Vice is nice to know that their news division do these kind of stories.
Shit, earliest I remember is when it was an 'alternative' media company reporting on mushrooms and North Korea. How long ago was their magazine phase?
You don’t see trump mentioning this on his Facebook or twitter.
Joseph Stalin Of course not. His allies and administration benefit from this system.
You ignorant people... how small is both your world views? You understand you both sound so ill informed when spewing what you are saying. This has been going on for decades. Decades!!
Quaker Oats lady again,. uhg!
Whatever you say, comrade.
Damn I feel bad for these defendants they go to law school and work there asses off and now are over worked and overpaid
Shit yeah😂
My Mom you mean public defendants?
@@Kimberly-wt1nu You mean public defenders?
@@dylanjohnson7408 they are not underpaid. They steal from the clients
@@johncuervo3019 public defenders are not the same as lawyers. They get paid by the state not the client. If your using a public defender you cant afford a lawyer.
Thanks vice really interesting
7:15 dude is definitely overwhelmed. How can he provide effective council?
Very valid & important point!
I work as a paralegal for a firm that takes on cases that are conflicted out by the PD’s office. I have easily 150 active IDU (indigent defense) cases. That’s on top of my 50 hired criminal defense cases and my 150 family law cases. I’m the only paralegal. I have one lawyer.
I get paid $14/hour and work easily 60-80 hour work weeks. In Georgia, our public defense budget was cut and the prosecutions was raised. We are tired, overworked, underpaid. We have mountains of cases and honestly, something needs to be reformed. I can barely sleep at night because I know that my clients deserve better. They deserve so much better than what they are getting. They deserve a system that can provide enough lawyers to be able to meet with them regularly.
Trust me, we want to. We are trying. And trust me, I know our best isn’t even good enough and for that? I am so so sorry.
doctor: "you have 12 minutes and 39 seconds left to live"
me:
10 minutes now
@@savagenectar3634 *looks at spam report button nervously.
I've seen this somewhat, and there is huge pressure to just plead guilty and get out of the system as soon as you can. When you have no money, it's an enormous disadvantage. I've stood in court, and it's like a iron wall. I felt so naked and vulnerable.
What are you doing to end up in court? Don't tell me that you are innocent just like 90% that are in jail 🙄
@@jaketapper8910 people like you keep this horrific system going....Goodie 2 Shoes ...Jake Crapper...😂😂😂😂
@@zeusscrowley8946 Sure thing virgin boy. I guess I'm just lucky I've never been to jail like jailbird Zeus here :-)
@@jaketapper8910 You're definitely going to hell, though!
Loving the content coming from vice recently! Keep it up!
Being in my first year of law school and knowing this goes on in this country, seeing this is horrifying
Double edge sword....call 911 and u might end up in jail.
@Digital Marketiiing 😭♥️✌🏾😊
@Digital Marketiiing I'm going to keep calling the cops and keep making anemies, because I'm not going to live under anyone's shadow, that's not living to ur full potential 🔥😈✌️
1♥️
@Digital Marketiiing 10.4, $0RRY YALL BE EASY💩✌️
“Alright we’re gonna try and get you declared clinically insane, call me a couple names when you leave the room”
love these documentaries, so informative and smooth. Make more!!!
Some of them are really unsung heroes. I used to work for some outstanding public defenders. It was a honor and a privilege to see these dedicated and extremely smart and savvy attorneys in action.
When u been sitting in jail for months your case is definitely the most important.
Love seeing all these recent pieces, Vice! Keep it up!
Belleville has handled one of my cases. The system here in Greene county is so broken and you feel so insignificant to change it. They are building temporary outside dorms to hold prisoners because this is continuing. It's at a breaking point
DAAAMN Vice! i can't even keep up! but the videos are great! thanks for so many eye-openers and Go Bronx defenders!
“S’all good, man.”
18 videos in the past 7 days? yall are on something 😭 keep it up 👍🏼
Its Gracie trying to get a cameo for me 🤣 3:25
In a perfect world, buddy, in a perfect world this doesn't exist at all. Most of those people probably shouldn't even be on trial. They're likely poverty/drugs/mental issues cases, not violent crime. This video also needed to mention the huge amount of plea deals.
Hope i am never framed or something, my life would be over cause i can't afford a high-end lawyer. also good job on vice for putting good content out recently.
Keep up the great work VICE !!!
as a public defender this is resonant. The DA barely moves or sometimes turns around meanwhile the defenders are all around the courtroom talking to clients. I am lucky to be in a county were its not as bad as others, we are able to handle our caseloads, but its still difficult. In my previous county as a misdemeanor attorney I was routinely in my office until 7 or 8 pm and coming gin on weekends. I hope that there are more spotlights on the need for public defense funding.
I didn't even have the same public defender consistently on the same case. I ended up having 7 different public defenders on one case. Each time, they hadn't even opened my file until an hour before court.
This documentary really should go together with the private prison system and mandatory minimums for non-violent drug charges. The public defenders office wasn’t meant to tackle so many superfluous charges.
" the system is coming to a halt." - Calvin R. Holden
Its a freaking miracle!
The amount paid for public defense compared to the amount for the criminal system is shocking; and the amount of time people spend in prison just waiting for pretrial hearings is outrageous.
In San Antonio late of last year as of this comment (2019) the courthouses were insane. District Judges and magistrates we’re crossing jurisdictions to help minimize the problem, however one side felt the other was overstepping. That held everything back, on top of 2 court houses next to each other and no public parking in the surrounding areas for a good mile radius, overworked and underpaid DAs just like in Missouri. I knew sheriffs and police officers that tried avoiding the court houses like plagues because of the undermining chaos. It started to go into personal levels from my understanding because nobody would budge one way or the other. Texas often having very very strict consequences to strict laws accidental leaks broken makes any first time offender feel like they’re on a murder trial case. Most of it coming from a law being broken has authorities taking quick action as they should, however taking to long to process cases for simple infractions. Investigating this situation further I learned it somewhat affects the homeless population as well.
A busy public pretender caused me to wrongfully plea guilty to something that costed me years of my life. The lost potential, I dont have a family, I eventually recieved my bachelors but had to wait until early 30s. It changes your entire life
Don’t please out. No matter what. I’m going to trial on my case.
We on a roll baby, keep em coming vice
Nice streak of good videos from Vice, for anyone saying they miss the old Vice or shit like that. Work takes time
I was a Public Defender for 6 months in Tampa, Florida. It was way too stressful to deal with. Low pay with a high caseload.
Come to Southern California where your "Guilty before paying for your innocence ".
“We talked to you now more than we’ve talked to our lawyers”that is pretty sad..!!
As a person who has been through this system all of this is true. VICE please for the love of journalism continue stories like this and follow up with it.
I'm about 9 months from graduating from a top tier law school. Even though I have excellent grades, I'm going to forgo the $160k starting salary in "biglaw" because I know the public defender system needs help. The system is broken. All it takes is for one state public defenders office to decide they will no longer consider plea bargains & demand the constitutional right to a speedy trial for all of their clients. It would bring the courts to its knees.
7:45 I hope this isn't the same Judge Holden I'm thinking of.
Men of war and men of god have strange affinities.
BX NYC Baby 🔥 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
That jail was like the Hilton compared to Parchman Prison in Mississippi
Thank you!
5:58 👌👌 As a person who has dealt with public defenders worldwide, outside north America included, I can confirm that the opinion expressed at 5:58 is unanimous worldwide amongst mentally competent defendants. 😂👍...but I'm serious
Vice went full speed am I right
@5:54 absolutely floored me lmao 💀😂
I’m in law school right now with plans to be a PD. It’s not glamorous but it’s necessary work.
Back to back, okay vice
I see VICE News is compensating for the “journalism” VICE is putting out.
".....if u cannot afford one ..your screwed"
how do I cite this on my citations page?
Our legal system has decayed drastically in the last 20 years, but most notably over the last 5 to 10.
Less jail time doesn't save money. The system makes alot profit off of incarceration
I live in Springfield. I got sued by a hospital for medical debt when i was underinsured in college. It was sickening when i saw the docket for Cox hospital suing at least 50 or 60 people just in that afternoon alone. We were all lined up and they had a entire courtroom dedicated to just the hospital.
Greene county has enough funding to accommodate for the hospital to make money hand over fist but not enough funding for public defenders. Hmmmm
Almost as big a problem here in the UK.
Half hr discussion with a represetitive before going into the court room.
And that derided the rest of your life and to a lesser extent, that of your ammediat family
Couldn't ever imagine seeing something as unorganized and rushed as this in germany or any other first world country
Wowie
The Bronx defenders is a great example of well managed funding
I really appreciate insightful journalism like this one
I got a cuz named vinnie that could take on some cases... :)
I wouldn't trust a wet bandit
Would he represent my two yoots?
@@mikecoffin9236 😂😂😂😂
Just be rich and powerful, trust me you'll get away with anything.
Easssssy :)
It says ©2020 Vice, but the video is obviously from 2016/2017. It would be great if an upload of an older video is followed by some commentary on how this issue has developed since.
Thanks vice for getting this out there
I felt overwhelmed just watching that. Can’t imagine being a PD under those circumstances. What an unnecessarily thankless job.
damn I couldn't handle his job , crazy!!! How could you go to sleep at night ? wow kudos to them!!!
I work at Kansas Holistic Defenders, an organization started in Lawrence, KS by an attorney who used to work at Bronx Defenders. We're trying to make it work here and hope to spread it throughout Kansas and Missouri :)
Great reporting!
Go VICE
12 thousand less than how much tho
When i was a juvenile i went to court for a crime i didn't do. My public defender was also the prosecutor due to none being available to represent me. With that said i was forced to take the charges basically without a fight. Its been broken for over a decade.
12:07 PREACH