Episode 1 – Adam Konta

Adam Konta is a Manhattan attorney who defends clients charged with various criminal offenses. He represents both paid and indigent clients and was previously a public defender. We talk about how criminal justice works differently for those who can pay for legal assistance. Konta explains how indigent clients are treated differently by judges and prosecutors and how lawyers are often forced to plead out cases instead of taking them to trial, even when they believe their clients are innocent. Konta discusses the many defense strategies available to paid clients that are not available to indigent clients. We conclude by discussing this concept of rehabilitation versus punishment as we rethink  basic assumptions about prison.

I don’t think guilt and innocence in the American criminal justice system should be tied to wealth, and I hope this episode will convince listeners that economic status should not influence a system designed to “serve justice.” I’d also like listeners to start thinking about whether punishment and isolation is the best way to help people who have been convicted of crimes prepare to rejoin society.