> The public defender is overworked and understaffed. Having someone dedicated to you in the criminal justice system is a huge advantage--especially if you are guilty.

It's a real shame that the fate of an innocent person's life is determined by a system that's pay to win.

To think that you can lose a massive chunk or maybe even your entire adult life for being falsely accused because your public defender is in a bad mood or doesn't have enough time to look into your case is total insanity.

It's how the system is intentionally designed. It's how people want it. They want high conviction rates and a 'tough on crime' attitude and don't really care much about truth or justice at all, especially if the accused is poor and doubly especially if they're also black.

That attitude really backfires when they are the ones wrongly accused, heh

They are white and rich. That system doesn't apply to them, by design.

The only time I really remember someone rich and famous going to jail was when Wesley Snipes tried to avoid paying income tax.

And I feel like that was more to send a message out to the general public that it doesn't matter how much money you have, if you try to evade taxes you will get thrown in jail. It wasn't so much a personal case where a good lawyer could get you out of having your only life ruined.

Then again, I don't watch the news or follow politics at all. In any case, it's messed up that money drives something as important as your freedom to live your life.

Wesley Snipes also made the bad decision to not be white.

It really is so much worse than most people realize. I was in a courtroom where around 20 county jail inmates (innocent until proven guilty) were shackled together with leg chains and handcuffs while two public defenders (whom none of those accused had ever met before) stood before them and explained that they were their lawyers and then spent a whole five minutes explaining that they had better just plead guilty because if they don't and lose in trial they will get at least twice as much time as the plea deal. I saw this more than once.

Taking the public defender option is basically an admission of guilt. You aren't even trying to defend yourself really.

Yes, being poor makes you automatically guilty.

You can actually do much worse than a public defender. Calling e.g. a lawyer who works for a "mill" (like those guys who advertise on TV, in my hometown it's Kerry Steigerwalt -- who makes a living pleading out DUI's with the least amount of effort possible, but would take your murder case without asking) will get you a guy who is just as overworked and understaffed as the PD, but unlike the PD, does not care about justice at all, only making money. They will do anything that results in a reduction in their workload, even if it means years in prison for you.

At least with the public defender's office you get someone who gives a shit, even if they are overworked.