The Cook County Public Defender Podcast

Assistant Public Defender Madeline Townsend is a great attorney in the Family Defense Division. and she shares with us how she went from math to law and her insightful viewson the so-called child welfare system.

Today we sit down with Mitigation Specialist Emma Sherman.  People ensnared in the criminal legal system, the family policing system, the immigration system, and all other systems defenders work in are judged on an accusation, a moment in time to the complete disregard of their entire life.

Mitigation specialists in the Client Services Division tell the story of our clients. Client by client, case by case, individuals are humanized by the great work of mitigators. Emma tells her story and her insightful thoughts on the system we work in.

Defender Theo Thomas is a brilliant attorney, trainer and teacher and is the Deputy of Professional Development with our office. Theo has successfully tried countless cases from misdemeanor to murder and everything in between. He also teaches at the DePaul College of Law and is the head coach of their Mock Trial Program.

Our guest this episode is Defender Edwin Alvarez who is an Assistant Public Defender in our Bridgeview Division. Edwin started with the office in 2022. He is a kind spirit with a fascinating story of how he became a public defender.

We are pleased to welcome Professor Dorothy Roberts to the show.

Professor Roberts is the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law & Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, with joint appointments in the Departments of Africana Studies and Sociology and the Law School, where she is the inaugural Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights. She is also founding director of the Penn Program on Race, Science & Society.

Her books include Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty; Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare ; Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-First Century; and Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World , as well as more than 100 articles and essays in books and journals, including “Race” in the 1619 Project book.

Her newest book is The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, And Family.

We are back for Season 2! And our first guest will be Professor Dorothy Roberts! Our conversation comes out Monday July 6th

After our first episode we will continue to highlight our Defenders and the great work they do every day.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and give a great review so we can spread the stories of the great work all our defenders do.

We sit down with Defender Elaina Ebert who is a paralegal in our Bridgeview Division. Elaina talks about the great work she does every day and her path to our office. From being a journalist in Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee, Elaina has taken a fascinating route to do the work she does for our clients.

We sit down with Deputy of Investigations, Steve Ramsey who leads the Investigations Division of the Office. Steve was born and raised in Chicago and started his career in broadcasting. Through different twists and turns, he landed with the Office as an investigator and now leads the entire team of investigators. Today we get to hear the story of this fascinating individual.

Today we sit down with the members of Team Keshia:

Julie Koehler, Associate Director of the Homicide Task Force

Kyan Keenan, Assistant Public Defender with the Homicide Task Force

Sierra Bartlett, Mitigation Specialist

Holly Krig, Director of Organizing with Moms United Against Violence & Incarceration.

Team Keshia discusses the tragic case of Keshia Golden who is facing First Degree Murder charges for defending herself against her long-time abuser after he attacked her when she was 8 months pregnant.

The Cook County State's Attorney has decided to continue to prosecute her despite the overwhelming evidence showing Keshia acted in self-defense and campaign promises to protect survivors of domestic violence.

You can contact the State's Attorney here.

Image credit: Monica Trinidad

Defender Ali Ammoura is an attorney in our Felony Trial Division as well as the Freedom Defense Center in Austin. Ali sits down with us to discuss his extraordinary life and the amazing work he has done for his clients and at the Freedom Defense Center using its holistic representation model.