Mitigating Gideon: Revisiting the Public Defender and Its Role in an Equitable America

As American criminal justice philosophy, practice, and impact have historic ebbs and flows, balancing on the whims of ever-changing political influence. And as that dynamic often challenges equity and equality, the position of the public defender stands strong as a beacon of these American ideals. The public defender highlights that no matter one's means and cultural influence, all are afforded criminal legal defense toward that fickle but true, "innocent until proven guilty." In an age whe...