Trauma InJustice

In this, the first episode of Season 2 of Trauma InJustice, Chris and Alison are in the hot seats.  Who are Chris and Alison?  Why do we do this podcast? How is our engineer, Chris Higgins, okay after listening to all of these recordings about the dark stuff we talk about? Give a listen to find out about the behind-the-scenes business of Trauma InJustice.  And BOLO for new episodes every Tuesday starting now!

In the season finale, Chris and Alison talk to  Alan Chipperfield, Capital Crimes Director at the the Public Defender's Office in Jacksonville, Florida.  Al graduated from Washington and Lee and has been practicing law for 45 years: the vast majority of that spent defending people charged with murder and who face the death penalty.  He also served as the Chief Assistant Public Defender for the 8th Judicial Circuit and has practiced civil law. 

We discuss why a lawyer who could do anything would choose to devote his career to representing people facing capital punishment.  We also hear about specific traumatic events in some of Al's clients' backgrounds and discuss broad policy questions about the criminal justice system.

These conversations are not appropriate for children. People with their own traumatic histories should be aware that we discuss violent crimes, exploitation, sexual trauma, child abuse, and incarceration.

Chris and Alison talk to homicide defense attorney Deb Billard.  We discuss cases, child clients, restorative justice, and religion.  Deb shares how she remains relentlessly positive, her loving relationship with clients, and the role of yoga and meditation in maintaining wellbeing in such a difficult job. 

These conversations are not appropriate for children. People with their own traumatic histories should be aware that we discuss violent crimes, exploitation, sexual trauma, child abuse, and incarceration.

Chris and Alison talk to criminal defense attorney Mandy Kuhn.  Mandy has been practicing since 2005 and has represented people charged with almost every type of crime.  She has exclusively worked as a public defender for her entire career, both in Florida and in Ohio. 

These conversations are not appropriate for children. People with their own traumatic histories should be aware that we discuss violent crimes, exploitation, sexual trauma, child abuse, and incarceration.

Chris and Alison talk to groundbreaking criminal defense attorney Ann Finnell in this episode.  Ann's work defending Brenton Butler was memorialized in the Oscar-winning documentary, "Murder on a Sunday Morning." She was also part of the defense team representing Casey Anthony.  Ann is an expert in defending people who are charged with 1st degree murder and  are facing the death penalty.  

These conversations are not appropriate for children. People with their own traumatic histories should be aware that we discuss violent crimes, exploitation, sexual trauma, child abuse, and incarceration.

Chris and Alison talk to Diana Johnson, an attorney who specializes in representing children in the juvenile justice system.  Diana is also a Florida Bar Board Certified Expert in Criminal Appellate Law. We discuss her work in private practice and as an assistant public defender and Diana shares healthy ways she's developed to deal with the stress she encounters in her work.

In this episode, attorneys Chris Moser and Alison DeBelder interview Waffa Hanania. Waffa is an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Florida and has been practicing law for 30 years. Waffa touches on many aspects of a career dedicated to criminal defense work, including whether people can be made whole by the criminal justice system.  The focus in this conversation centers upon the pain involved when representing people who are facing the possibility of the imposition of a death sentence.  

Chris and Alison interview solo practitioner Regina Wright (reginawrightlaw.com). Regina has been a criminal defense attorney for 30 years and has worked both as an assistant public defender and as a private attorney.  We talk about these two types of practice, the importance of taking cases to trial, and about racial disparities in the criminal justice system. 

These conversations are not appropriate for children. People with their own traumatic histories should be aware that we discuss violent crimes, exploitation, sexual trauma, child abuse, and incarceration.

Chris and Alison talk to criminal defense attorney Lewis Buzzell about defending people charged with murder and who are facing the death penalty. Lewis is the Chief Assistant Public Defender for the 4th Judicial Circuit in Jacksonville, Florida.

These conversations are not appropriate for children. People with their own traumatic histories should be aware that we discuss violent crimes, exploitation, sexual trauma, child abuse, and incarceration.

Chris Moser and Alison DeBelder talk to Katherine Hinchey. Katherine is an attorney with the Public Defender's Office for the 4th Judicial Circuit in Jacksonville, Florida. She specializes in representing clients charged with sex crimes and talks about the challenges that are unique to her work. We also discuss some of the unique challenges faced by women lawyers working in the criminal justice system.

These conversations are not appropriate for children. People with their own traumatic histories should be aware that we discuss violent crimes, exploitation, sexual trauma, child abuse, and incarceration.