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Broken Justice

Broken Justice

By: PBS NewsHour
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 In 1997, Ricky Kidd was sentenced to life without parole for a double homicide he says he didn’t commit. And he says his court-appointed lawyer is the reason. In the U.S. justice system, everyone has the right to an attorney, even if you can’t afford one. But what happens when your lawyer is overworked, underfunded and unable to do their job? From the PBS NewsHour, a look inside Missouri's public defender system at a crisis point and what it means for serving justice in America. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders2025 NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved. True Crime
Episodes
  • Broken Justice Trailer

    Broken Justice Trailer
    Oct 29 2019
    In 1997, Ricky Kidd was sentenced to life without parole for a double homicide he says he didn’t commit. And he says his court-appointed lawyer is the reason. In the U.S. justice system, everyone has the right to an attorney, even if you can’t afford one. But what happens when your lawyer is overworked, underfunded and unable to do their job? From the PBS NewsHour, a look inside Missouri's public defender system at a crisis point and what it means for serving justice in America. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
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    1 min
  • Episode 5: Where do we go from here?

    Episode 5: Where do we go from here?
    Dec 4 2019
    After 23 years behind bars, and a crushing defeat in 2009, Ricky Kidd finally gets a new day in court. Plus, we take a look inside a new St. Louis County prosecutor’s campaign to uproot the process that fuels the overload on public defenders. Could changing the way crimes are prosecuted be the answer to the public defense crisis? If you have questions for us or Ricky, you can send them to podcasts@newshour.org PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
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    37 mins
  • Episode 4: Public defenders fight back

    Episode 4: Public defenders fight back
    Nov 26 2019
    The most common tool used to attack problems in public defender systems is the class action lawsuit. But what if there’s a better strategy? Steve Hanlon, a longtime advocate for systemic legal reform, has a big idea about big data. This is the story of how his data changed things for public defenders in Missouri, and ultimately led to a state-wide showdown with the governor. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
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    23 mins
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Every one of us needs to know how our justice system is broken and what about it needs to be fixed. This podcast explains how one major disfunction of our system results in injustice and wrongful convictions.

Required Listening for Every Citizen

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