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Episode 1: Triage

Nation

Can an attorney handle more than 100 criminal cases at a time? That’s the reality for a public defender like Jeff Esparza, who represents defendants unable to afford their own lawyers in Kansas City. The public defender system in Missouri—and across the nation—is underfunded, understaffed and overworked. Attorneys say their clients are slipping through the cracks. The system fails people like Kevin Shepard, who sat in jail for months before ever meeting his overworked public defender. And Ricky Kidd, who spent much of his life behind bars, he says, because of his public defender’s mistakes.

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Vika Aronson
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Vika Aronson

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Frank Carlson

Amna Nawaz
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Amna Nawaz

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Emily Carpeaux

Erica R. Hendry
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Erica R. Hendry

Vika Aronson
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Vika Aronson

Vika Aronson is podcast producer at the PBS NewsHour.

@vika_aronson
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Frank Carlson

Frank Carlson is the Senior Coordinating Producer for America at a Crossroads. He's been making video at the NewsHour since 2010.

@frankncarlson
Amna Nawaz
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Amna Nawaz

Amna Nawaz serves as co-anchor and co-managing editor of PBS News Hour.

@IAmAmnaNawaz
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Emily Carpeaux

Senior Producer, Field Segments

Erica R. Hendry
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Erica R. Hendry

Erica R. Hendry is the managing editor for digital at PBS NewsHour.

@ericarhendry

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