2947 - Prisons Lock Up Innocent People With Impunity w/ Daniel Medwed

Sam and Emma host Daniel Medwed, Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University, to discuss his recent book Barred: Why the Innocent Can't Get Out of Prison. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Russian escalation, JD Vance’s relationship to a big opioid pill mill physician, and Oklahoma City’s Apple Store unionization, also touching on the Georgia senate race and Herschel’s ongoing press debacle. Daniel Medwed then joins as he dives right into the commonness of wrongful convictions in the US criminal justice system, and the rarity of that being addressed, with luck being the primary factor of having your case readdressed. Professor Medwed then dives into the role of plea bargains in creating this issue, having effectively made the trial extinct (only taking place in 5% of criminal cases) in favor of making the judicial system more efficient for those involved (as in the lawyers, prosecutors, and judges), with minimal sentence differences being viewed as a “discount” for not making a hassle. Next, Daniel walks Sam and Emma through the stories of two wrongful convictions, and how the judicial system made it effectively impossible to get a decision overturned, first looking at the imprisonment of Stephen Schultz over a $32 mugging where the two eyewitnesses were split and then turning to the conviction of Bobby Finell for murder despite his supposed “accomplice” admitting to doing it alone, with only Schultz getting any time cut. After Professor Medwed walks through the other big factors that keep these systems moving (such as the election of DAs and Judges with tough-on-crime platforms), they wrap up the interview by tackling potential solutions to get more transparency on the issue of wrongful conviction and make exoneration more accessible.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma cover Bret Weinstein’s accusation of Joe Biden surreptitiously degrading the US military, Damon from KY discusses censorship of the left discussing the bigotry of the right, and Jack from Long Island dives into a recent story on the removal of a Progress Pride flag from a High School. JD Vance and Joe Rogan can’t believe that we’re letting kids piss and shit in the classroom without parental consent and Tulsi Gabbard agrees, Ilaria from Seattle celebrates the incredible work of reproductive care providers, Dave from Jamaica talks about Kanye and Black Capitalism, and the crew covers the Van Gogh protest and the disappearance of Alaskan Snow Crabs. Wyatt Parsons calls in to discuss his campaign in Missouri’s Fourth Congressional District, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Daniel's book here: https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/daniel-s-medwed/barred/9781541675902/

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