Clarifying the Role of the Public Defender in the Justice System

The Dover Post of Delaware has a brief-but-illuminating interview with Delaware’s Public Defender, Brendan O’Neill, in which he talks about the public perception of defenders “trying to get the bad guy off the hook” as opposed to being guardians of all citizens’ rights, the overwhelming caseloads which many defenders are carrying, and his motivation for the career path he’s chosen.