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Overlooked & Underrated Docs & Features
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Gideon’s Army: The Tough, Thankless Job of Public Defender
More than 12 million people are arrested in the United States annually. Our nation has 15,000 public defenders to represent those unable to afford a criminal attorney.
At first I thought the ‘Gideon’ in the film’s title was a biblical reference, but then I learned the name refers to Clarence Earl Gideon who, in 1961, was arrested and convicted for stealing a soda and a few dollars. He did not have a lawyer. The film doesn’t say who financed it, but his case went to the Supreme Court which ruled unanimously that the right to a defense lawyer in a criminal case is fundamental to the American system of justice. I was nearly shocked to learn how recent that ruling was in our history.
Produced and directed by prolific filmmaker Dawn Porter, “Gideon’s Army” follows three defenders—Brandy Alexander, Travis Williams, and June Hardwick—through their professional and personal lives as they do their thankless work and reflect on their trials (in both senses of that word) and triumphs.
Amongst other challenges, we learn their caseloads are massive which inherently limits their ability to provide the best possible defense in their sad cornucopia of case files. The turnover in this particular legal profession is understandably high. It’s like if the grueling medical internship of newly degreed doctors became a regular job instead of a year-long initiation and hazing.
As the film progresses we are introduced to the tragedies of inflexible sentencing and outrageous practices. In one southern state the bond for a misdemeanor crime—such as shoplifting—can be as high $40,000 which most defendants can’t afford. They may be incarcerated for many months awaiting just the indictment, and some wait years in prison for their trial.
The film also features Jonathan Rapping, leader of the Atlanta (my home town)-based Southern Public Defender Training Center (http://gideonspromise.org/), who provides as much training and support to public defenders as humanly possible.
It’s not surprising to note that a film about public defenders in the United States contains implicit and explicit information which indicts our entire justice system. I was not surprised, of course; but being confronted with the raw reality of crime and punishment in the United States is still deeply disturbing. Focusing specifically on the role of public defender, Brett Willis—a senior public defender—proffers that “the reality is 90% to 95% of the people who get charged with something plead guilty...because the system is designed to force them to plead guilty and it punished their failure to comply.”
“Gideon’s Army” is cablecast by HBO between July 1 and July 9